


Blinded by the Lights

by aybeexinfinity



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-11
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:39:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 29,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23099455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aybeexinfinity/pseuds/aybeexinfinity
Summary: Connor befriends Audrey at the DCPD, and over the course of his investigation, she unwittingly aids in his level of software instability.Spoilers for the whole game pretty much. Explicit rating for smut in the final chapter.
Relationships: Connor (Detroit: Become Human)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 45





	1. Glow

**Author's Note:**

  * For [relinquish_one_bullet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/relinquish_one_bullet/gifts).



> This is gonna be messy and short but it's what's in my head. Given the nature of the game and the one billion choices we have to make, there will likely be events mentioned that deviated from your gameplay. Hope you like this all the same!

  
  


The deep glow of the terminal was starting to mess with her eyes. Stare at that light too long without blinking and it leaves you with ghosts: phantom lines and characters that blur from familiar to foreign as your eyes dart around. Usually work left her with a different kind of ghost, one that haunted even when her eyelids shut and she left the building. For the time being, though, the temporary spectres of every words she read were harmful enough. Her eyes were stinging and the fluorescents above weren’t doing her any favours. More than anything, she was tired. The same sort of fatigue that plagued her for the past few years. The same enduring burn-out that she submerged herself in since leaving. No matter how much or how little she slept, no matter if she meditated or relaxed, that lack of energy followed her like a shadow.

Coffee would help. A temporary fix was still a fix. She let out a sigh and sat back from her terminal, blinking hard a few times to try and reset her retinas. The images and words of the screen tagged along, but they’d be gone before she knew it. Her desk was far from tidy: case files were spread across most of the surface, here and there broken up by a tape dispenser, a stapler, and a DCPD mug full of pens. There was a plastic plant on the far-right corner that she’d watered for a month before realizing it didn’t need her. There weren’t any windows for natural light down in the basement, but she’d gotten one of those UV grow lights for it. The unopened box was somewhere in her desk drawers, useless now to the self-sufficient plant.

Locking her terminal, she grabbed her phone and her key card. She picked up her mug and swirled around the now-cold liquid, downed it one shot, and winced at the taste as she headed for the stairs. Navigating out of her office took a little bit of maneuvering, thanks to the growing lack of storage space in the building. Her office, more of a hovel some days and completely out of the way, had started as the temporary holding space for old case files until they could be sent for digitization. Then someone added a stack of chairs, just until the audit was done. And it sort of just tumbled from there. She didn’t necessarily mind it—after all, there was something stupidly comfortable about feeling like she was safe on all sides—but she didn’t want to think about what a fire hazard it probably was.

Despite the lights she had, it was always a bit of a shock going up to the main floor. From the windows to the overheads and all the neon in between, it was like night and day. The sound was also far different from what she was used to. So many voices and devices and phones and data feeds. All of it hit her full force, intensifying the fatigue she felt and making her only want to crawl back to her office. It was, thankfully, a short walk from the hallway to her destination. Leading past the interrogation rooms, she couldn’t help but peek inside mid-step. Both were empty, which was either a sign her colleagues were doing a terrible job or a wonderful job at getting the criminals of Detroit.

Reaching the entrance to the staff kitchen, the sight almost made her want to turn right back around. Gavin was there with Tiffany, but it was mostly the former who gave her pause. It took a great deal of strength on the best of days to bear his smugness, and today was not her best day.

“Never seen an Android like you before.” Reed said, speaking to someone obstructed by the wall. “What model are you?”

“RK800.” A voice replied. “I’m a prototype.”

“A prototype?” Gavin replied with feigned awe, pointing and laughing while looking back at Officer Chen. Each footstep slowed as she went closer, edging into the kitchen and catching a glimpse of the Android. “So machines are gonna replace us all, is that it?”

She recognized him as the Android that had been in the day before with Hank. He had been the one to get a confession from Carlos Ortiz’s Android. Murder wasn’t the usual function of any model, but with the rise in Deviant cases it was only a matter of time. Despite being surrounded by Androids everywhere she went, it always gave her pause to see how human they looked even up-close. The skins had all the right texture and highlights, but they never looked _too_ human. That would break the façade after all.

“Hey, bring me a coffee dipshit.” Gavin commanded, stopping her in her step. Her mug was half way to the coffee machine at his words, but in his rant Gavin hadn’t even noticed her. Instead he was speaking to the Android. She prepared herself to move out of the way if he turned and headed her way, but instead he stood firmly in place. “Get a move on! I gave you an _order_.”

“I’m sorry, but I only take orders from Lieutenant Anderson.” The Android replied. If she didn’t know any better, she could’ve sworn he said it with attitude. Not merely stating a fact, but skirting the response programs in his code to rub it in. She set her mug down at the machine and hit the screen to start it brewing, a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.

“Hah, right…” Gavin said bitterly as she turned around to face them. Without a moment’s hesitation he wound his arm back and sucker punched the Android in the stomach. Hard. The force of it brought him to his knees, one hand bracing where he’d been hit.

“Jesus, what the fuck are you doing?” She yelled at him, surging forward to get in between Gavin and the Android.

“Stay out of this, Calvert.” He muttered, eyes trained on the Android behind her. Tiffany stood by silently behind them all, eyes wide as she watched the spectacle unfold.

“Get out of here, Reed. Take your inferiority complex somewhere else.” She said sternly. He looked her in the eyes, half of him so clearly wanting to push her out of the way and pummel into the Android. But he knew better than to try it with her. He’d learned that lesson already. Instead, he relaxed his fists and redirected his attention to the Android.

“If Hank hadn’t gotten in the way yesterday, I would’ve fucked you up for disobeying a human. Stay outta my way. Cause next time, your girlfriend won’t be here to save you.” He said gravely, taking one step away but hovering to get in another insult, this time directed at her. “Blue-banger.”

Tiffany left with him as he sauntered out of the kitchen, leaving her to sigh and turn to face the Android. He got to his feet and she finally got a good look at him face-to-face. The blue LED on his temple was glowing its normal blue which made her think things were mostly good but she had to ask just in case.

“Are you okay?” She let her eyes go over the rest of him for any signs of serious damage. Even Androids weren’t perfect, and if their diagnostics sensors were damaged, it could stop them from picking up on anything else that was wrong.

“Yes, thank you.” He said with a smile, reaching out his hand. “My name is Connor. I’m the Android sent by CyberLife.”

“Audrey, DCPD Cybercrimes.” She shook his hand and she watched as he followed the movement with some lingering glance. “Don’t tell me I’m the first one to actually shake your hand in this place.”

“Actually, the first ever.” He explained, the smile returning. There was something that warmed her heart at the sight of it. But that just brought up bad memories. He dropped her hand and straightened his tie, which was one part of his entirely new outfit. It made sense for CyberLife to freshen things up with a new model, especially a prototype, but they had done a great job at nailing the business-casual attire. His two-toned blazer still had the standard blue arm band and triangle over the chest, his model and serial number boldly displayed just to reinforce he was an outsider. She hated that they wore that. It was the same kind of othering that Nazis had done back in the 20th century to everyone they didn’t like.

“So you’re the one working with Hank, right?” She inquired, wondering who up in the big tower had belaboured over designing the face she was looking at. The eye colour, the jawline, the angle of his nose. He was designed for a role, and the fulfillment of that role apparently demanded he was made to be attractive. _Check_. Also to have a sweetness to his face, an openness that indicated trustworthiness. _Double check_.

“I’ve been assigned to track down Deviants in the area, and Lieutenant Anderson is meant to be my partner.” He explained, casting a glance over at Hank’s empty desk.

“So _you’re_ the one responsible for cutting Hank’s bender short at Jimmy’s bar.” She teased, brushing the hair from her face and watching as he processed her remarks. “Kudos to you for learning so quickly that the best way to get Hank to stop drinking is to get him another drink.”

“I understand that some people are uncomfortable in the presence of Androids, however the Lieutenant seems to present a unique challenge.” Connor explained, folding both hands in front of him as he looked back at the desks in the bullpen.

“Yeah, Hank can be…difficult. But he’s one of the good ones. I can promise you that much.” She said sincerely, eyes lingering on the empty desk of the Lieutenant. “Unlike some of the rest of us here, apparently. Sorry about Reed, he’s an asshole. If you’re with us for a while and don’t want to deal with the looks, my office is as far out of the way as you can get. It’s more of a cave at this point, but it’s quiet.”

“Thank you, Audrey. That’s very kind of you to offer.” He said, head tilted down at her to make up for their height difference. Behind them the coffee machine beeped several times to indicate that her drink was prepared. She went over and retrieved the now-full mug, taking a sip despite knowing it would be too hot.

“Let me show you where Hank sits, he should be in soon.” Audrey led the way out of the kitchen and into the group of desks, most of them empty. The officers were out walking their beats or wherever they had been assigned today. Only a few remained on site, not counting the Captain in his glass box. “Here we are.”

Hank’s desk stuck out like a sore thumb. It was the messiest by far and had the tried and true crime board half filled with pins. Red Ice may not have been the crisis it once was, but his work to take down the dealers left was still crucial. Audrey sat down in Hank’s chair and took another sip of her coffee before setting it down. Swivelling the chair back and forth, she gave Connor some space to look around the belongings of his new partner. He moved from item to item, analyzing them quickly and committing them to memory.

She watched him work, wondering how long CyberLife had his model in development for. Was he made just to hunt his own kind? Or had an Android detective been in the works for a while considering the success of the police officer models?

“Get your ass out of my seat, Calvert.” Hank’s gruff voice yelled from down the aisle. His eyes were narrowed at the light of the place and he was walking with the briefest limp. Not too hungover to work.

“Good morning to you too, Lieutenant.” She snipped back, reaching into the bottom drawer of his desk and pulling out a water bottle. Setting it on the top of his desk, she fished out the bottle of Tylenol buried at the back and shook out two for him to take. Leaving them beside the water, she pushed off the ground and got up.

“Hello, Lieutenant.” Connor said pleasantly from behind her. The sight of him startled Hank, but the reaction was followed quickly with a groan.

“Jesus.” Hank muttered, moving around the both of them to sit down.

“Take them before Fowler gets to you.” Audrey pointed to the pills, earning a grunt from her superior, but he listened all the same. “It was nice to meet you, Connor.”

“May I ask you a question, Audrey?” Connor said before she could leave. She nodded, leaning against the desk across from Hank’s and watched him chase the pills with water.

“What is a “Blue-Banger?” He asked innocently, Hank waking up quickly at his words. “It isn’t a term I’ve come across before.”

“Where the fuck did you pick that up?” The Lieutenant turned in his chair to study the Android. At the indication that there was something less than kind about the term, his LED light began to blink. She wondered if it meant he was committing the reaction to memory.

“Detective Reed said it to Audrey in the kitchen.” Connor explained easily, his tone tinted with caution in light of Hank’s reaction.

“He _what?_ ” However hungover and tired he may have been before, the Lieutenant was wide awake now. While there was something endearing about his response, the level of his voice only made her nerves crawl up.

“It was nothing, he was just blowing hot air like he always does.” Audrey said calmly in hopes of diffusing Hank’s temper. “I walked into the kitchen and he punched Connor in the gut. When I told him to fuck off, he threw that back at me. Connor, you know what blue-blood means?”

“Yes, it’s what humans call Thirium.” He looked over at Hank as if expecting confirmation. “I believe it’s also used as a slang term to refer to Androids.”

“There you go. Blue blood means Android. Bang is the colloquial word for sex. So someone who hits up places like the Eden Club is called a Blue-Banger. It’s just an insult people use when they hate Androids but also hate humans. Nothing worse to Gavin Reed than humans treating Androids like people.”

Connor’s brow furrowed at the explanation, his processor working to store all of the new information. Hank grumbled at the whole situation, from Connor being there to Gavin’s remarks and his general physical state. Audrey grabbed her coffee mug and bit the both of them goodbye just in time for the Captain to summon Hank to his office. Given the tone in Fowler’s voice, she was relieved it wasn’t her. Connor followed Hank but looked back at Audrey a few times until the walls broke his line of sight. She went back to her office, the coffee now a temperature she could handle, and dove back into her work.


	2. Diffuse

  
  


Some days, the darkness of the world was too much. It was something she had been prepped for when she took the job, but that wasn’t to say it made it easier. Just that she would have to take the bad days in stride. Easier said than done when you didn’t have to read a 25 page transcript of a guy trying to solicit a twelve-year old girl. It helped knowing she wasn’t all alone in her work, general speaking, as there were half a dozen other people she technically worked with. None of them were at the same building, though, and so she lacked the sense of camaraderie that others were privy to. Some part of her preferred it that, lacking the energy some days to make it into work let alone socialize. There was a limit, though, to how fulfilled she could feel from brief interactions here and there. All the VIs in her various household products could help with that—weather from her thermostat, news from her fridge, positive messages from her mirror—but the loneliness that crept in at times could be undeniable and her work did nothing to help it.

The case she was working on involved an elusive human trafficking ring in Detroit’s underbelly that had alleged gang ties. The globalization of the world’s markets wasn’t limited to legal businesses: if anything, the creation of Androids had caused the groups to form more alliances. For everything bad in the world, there was someone willing to pay. If not in cash, then in red ice, or worse…in lives. There was no doubt in her mind that more than half of the missing Android cases were thanks to black market dealings, and people finding new and macabre uses for the human-like machines. What happens when something new takes hold, though? Give it enough time, and people start to get nostalgic for the good old days. When magazines had pages and cabs had drivers. One of the hardest truths she’d learned was that nostalgia didn’t draw the line on happy things.

Sickos longed for bygone times too, when they people they tortured pleaded for their lives and the kids they kidnapped carried sentimental value to their families. Kidnapping an Android was seen as theft and nothing more; forcibly taking someone off the street? That left an impact. It sent a message. The mention of a certain phrase in the transcript she was reading triggered a memory from another case file, which prompted her to get up from her desk. Crossing over to a section of stacked boxes, she searched the numbers to find the one she was looking for. It jumped out at her from one of the top rows, too far to reach on her tip-toes. Looking around the office, she chose a small table that was stacked with old terminals that had been bound for IT for months on end. Clearing the defunct devices onto the floor, she only just started to pull the table when the sound of footsteps gave her pause. She tried to prepare her voice for what would undoubtedly be a request for where _this_ was, or where _that_ was kept. Like she was the steward of all this junk.

“Shit, don’t you ever clean this place?” Hank’s voice called out, allowing her to relax and start pulling the table over to where she needed it.

“Fuck off, Anderson.” She replied, climbing onto the surface and finding her balance. Connor followed the Lieutenant into her office, the Android scanning his surroundings to take in every piece of information he could use. “You boys need something, or did you just come here to make fun of me?”

“Lookin’ for some help with our case.” Hank explained, messing with the files on her desk to get an idea of what she was working on. Connor stood equidistant between the two of them, eyes focused on Audrey as she fought with the box on the top shelf. There was something holding it back—some part of it had likely been covered in coffee at one point that fused it to the boxes around it. She didn’t want to pull so hard that the cardboard ripped apart, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to avoid with each yank. Cursing under her breath, she finally freed it with one last pull and handed the box over for Hank to take. He took it by the handles, turning it to the side to see if he recognized the case number, and set it down on top of all the mess on her desk. Bracing herself on the wall of remaining boxes, she took one step to the edge of the table, but the sudden weight displacement made it wobble. Before she could adequately stabilize herself, the whole table was tilting over.

Her hands gripped at the fragile boxes but found no purchase as she fell towards the ground. She felt her heart jump at the sensation and had just enough time to catch the look of worry on Hank’s face before the view was obstructed. Connor, equipped with the upgraded reflexes of an RK800, had closed the distance between them and caught her before either foot could hit the ground. While she wouldn’t have died from the fall, she’d seen fractures and broken bones from lesser impacts. The Android’s hands were gripping her waist firmly, a look of mild alarm on his face as he held her an inch above the ground. She held onto his shoulders for support, eyes finding his as they both processed what happened. He lowered her down slowly until her toes touched the floor, then her arch, and finally her heels.

“Those damn reflexes.” Hank grumbled, sinking into the chair opposite Audrey’s and folding both hands over his stomach. As he slouched down, Connor released her and took a half-step back.

“Thanks, Connor.” She managed, moving around him to get to her desk. “The last thing I need right now is a trip to the hospital.”

“So,” Hank began, cutting off the Android when he opened his mouth to speak. “What’s in 3487-6 that’s worth breaking your neck over?”

“I’m going through the chat history on the Archandroid forum, and one of these guys mentions Roanoke as a meeting point. I’m pretty sure one of the detectives had a short-list of locations noted in the cold case, so I’m hoping it’ll mean a lead.” She heaved the box towards her, watching as Connor hovered near Hank. She motioned for him to grab a chair, at which point he looked around to find one. While he sat down she pulled the lid off the box and began to rifle through the remnants. “What was it you wanted to ask me about?”

“You ever heard of rA9?” Hank picked up the fake plant on her desk and inspected it, idly tossing it back and forth between his hands.

“It rings a bell…” She paused, searching her memory for a match. She knew it had to do with Androids but couldn’t recall beyond that. “Let me check what I’ve got on my database.”

Abandoning the case box for the time being, Audrey pulled up her program on the terminal. Opening up the search function, she typed in the keyword and let it run through the thousands of entries she’d personally uploaded. It worked well for things like this that weren’t case-specific; if someone happened to hack her, all they would get is a list of what they know, not the details of cases or future plans for missions. After a few moments the progress bar was full and the handful of entries were expanded for her. Propping up her head on one hand, she scanned the text to relearn what she once knew.

“Android related, specifically Deviants it looks like.” She began to summarize as she read the entries. The snippets had all come from different cases and leads, but they each helped to expand the picture that was the answer. “The general impression is that it’s something spiritually significant. Some view it as a being, others as a mantra. We don’t have a ton of data on Androids who go off-book but from what I’ve gathered it’s a promise of a future of freedom for Androids. I don’t really have anything beyond that. Does it help at all?”

“Mm.” Hank grunted, eyes focused on a spot in the distance as the gears in his head turned. “Confirms what we’ve found isn’t a one-off. You don’t remember anything from your time at CyberLife? Not some abandoned program to give the Androids a God that failed the focus group?”

“You worked for CyberLife?” Connor interjected, completely missing the look of annoyance on Hank’s face in response.

“Years ago. I worked for the M.E.D.I.C. team.” She replied, nodding at the memory. It had been her dream job, once upon a time. But all it takes is one bad day.

“The _what_?” Hank’s brows furrowed at the acronym but she wasn’t surprised it was lost on him: he hadn’t cared about her past when they’d met as much as her future. Much of what he’d learned about her he’d learned by accident; he wasn’t exactly a fan of playing 21 questions.

“M.E.D.I.C.: Mandatory Emergency Diagnostic Investigative Crew. They provide ad-hoc patching for individual software bugs located in Android platforms that can lead to less than ideal errors.” Connor explained, turning to the Lieutenant to gauge if more information was needed. It didn’t surprise her that her role still existed, but she had figured with what an apparently looming programming crisis everyone’s jobs would be on the line.

“What, like Deviants?”

“No.” Connor said simply. “It’s usually an HK400 no longer recalling how to use a stove, or losing the ability to differentiate between apples and oranges.”

“Minor errors that produced minor inconveniences but triggered the warranty all the same.” Audrey added for context. “I personally don’t remember anything about rA9 but it’s been a while.”

“Yeah, figured it was a long shot.” The Lieutenant’s lip curled at the dead end.

“Where did you see mention of rA9?” Audrey asked, wondering if it matched up with the sources for her entries. Before he could get into the details his phone rang; the name on the screen was clearly someone he was waiting for. He got to his feet and accepted the call, taking a moment to give one last piece of direction.

“Hold that thought. Connor, send her what we found at the apartment complex and the Ortiz house. Calvert, you find anything let me know.” The Lieutenant ordered, heading towards the stairs. And then, into the receiver, he initiated the conversation. “What’ve you got?”

As he disappeared up the stairs, Connor turned back to face her. He focused on her terminal for a moment before speaking.

“If it’s alright with you, I can transmit a digital compendium of the evidence we’ve discovered to your personal terminal.” The Android offered. When she nodded, he focused on the wall behind her and initiated the transfer. His LED turned yellow during the brief minute it took him to compile snapshots of his databanks and send them her way. The focused look on his face, from the subtle curve of his eyebrows to the conscious but absent look in his eyes, made her wonder how similar Android thought process was to humans’. God making man in his own image and all that. She could practically feel the intensity of his processor power dedicated to a single code of thought. She had been there before, any time she was putting the pieces together for a case. The myriad of similarities that seemed to present between Androids and humans was one of the things that always made her wonder. Was it organic, or just code? At what point did the line between the two blur?

“Got it.” Audrey watched as the pictures popped up on her screen one after another. “Alright, what’s on the menu today? Hmm. These are from two different crime scenes?”

Connor got to his feet and came around to her side of the desk, inspecting the particular photos she had side by side: one of the interior of a shower stall, and one of a whole bathroom. Both of them had rA9 obsessively scribbled all over the walls.

“Yes. This is from the Ortiz investigation, and this is from the abandoned apartment complex near the Detroit Urban Farms.” Connor explained, watching curiously as she began to import the files into her database. She had a meticulous tagging system that she built into the program in order to reduce the risk of her missing key information due to something as simple as a poor choice of keywords. Everything was broken down by category and date and source and file type and organizational ties and so on. It was oddly tidy considering what a mess her office was.

“What’s this thing at the bottom here?” She pointed to the bottom of the first picture, where some shape was cut off in the frame. The RK800 paused for a moment to back-check his data feed, and after another moment she had a new picture on her terminal. This one looked like a statue of sorts behind a yellow evidence marker. “Ortiz’s Android made that?”

“I believe so.” He lay one hand flat atop her desk for support and leaned closer, pointing to the picture she had up. In humans, it could have been construed as a power move—that or an attempt at flirting. But that wasn’t a plausible consideration given the nature of him. Still, it just emphasized his jawline and the smolder he unintentionally emulated as he displayed a facial expression that said _focused_. “There were candles surrounding it in the bottom of the shower that indicated a shrine of sorts to this rA9 character.” He studied the pictures and then turned to study Audrey just the same.

“Well that’s…new. Very interesting.” It wasn’t a filler statement: she genuinely was interested in the implications. She would have time later to see how the new information fit into her overall understanding of Deviants and what it meant for the world to come. “I’ll definitely keep an ear to the ground for anything that’ll help.”

“Thank you, Audrey.” He offered a smile and straightened up, but he didn’t move away from her desk. She doubted he was waiting to be dismissed, which just made her wonder why he hadn’t followed after Hank.

“You doing alright?” She asked, swivelling in her chair to face him properly. “Is Hank being an ass?”

“I’m fine.” He promised with a nod, but the LED light flashing yellow made her second guess his response. Androids were capable of white lies depending on their programming—if their prime objectives included sparing people from conversations that would make them uncomfortable, or pointing out things that were embarrassing, they had the ability to suppress the truth or sometimes just skirt around it. The coding was particularly important for the models that cared for kids. “The Lieutenant has been…as expected. Though…”

“What is it, Connor?” She knew that Hank had no love for Androids, and had his own reasons he told himself to justify his dislike. But if he was going the route of Gavin Reed and intentionally treating the Android like shit, she wouldn’t have a problem bringing it up with him.

“I was wondering…given your experience with the M.E.D.I.C. team, would you be willing to run a local diagnostic on my systems?” He didn’t seem nervous, exactly, but the fact that he was asking her meant that something was up.

“Sure thing, I don’t mind one bit. Grab that chair, I’m sure I’ve got a spare fibe-op around here somewhere.” She started to rifle through her desk drawers while he gingerly lifted a chair and carried it over to her side. Underneath the useless grow light and several stacks of unused napkins from the food trucks of the week, she found the fiber optic cable wrapped around itself in a coil. She pulled it out and detangled it, grabbing her personal laptop from her bag on the floor and booting it up. Running the program outside of the DCPD network was half for their protection and half for his. When Connor was seated, she plugged one end of the cable into her laptop and brought the other to the base of his neck. “May I?”

“Of course.” He stretched his neck to allow her easier access to his port. She pressed two fingers to the standardized fitting and watched as his digital skin around the port faded away to the stark white of his body’s shell.

“Alright, deep breath.” She waited until he did the performative action which internally would just correlate to its intended meaning: prepare yourself. She pushed the cable in until it was fully engaged and waited for his LED to turn yellow. For the briefest of moments it flashed red, but it happened so quickly she wondered if she’d imagined it. Sitting down at her desk, she pulled her laptop close and brought up his boot drive. “All good so far?”

“Yes, everything feels normal.” He reported, watching her as she studied her screen. Typing in a few command codes brought her to his central processing menu. It was a fairly quick step to initiate the diagnostic, given that it was the main point of the drive’s interface, but the goal of it being a local diagnostic removed the possibility of his own processor missing something. It was the equivalent of a confirmation bias in humans. As the program ran its course, checking all of his code for the general signs of bugs, she sat back and watched the lines flow in. Report after report, everything across the board was green. She had expected as much, and wondered what the underlying push was that brought him to ask for her to test him. Whatever it was, it was _something_.

“Well, it looks like your systems are in perfect working order. No lagging, no bugs, nothing to warrant concern. I think you’re due for a software upgrade in the coming days but it isn’t flagged as crucial.” She got to her feet and carefully unplugged the cable, closing her laptop and pushing it aside.

“I see.” It wasn’t the answer he was expecting, or at least not the one he was hoping for. At the sight of his reaction, she pushed up her shirt sleeve to reveal her smartwatch. Tapping through the menu, she got to one of the subfolders that held her own program and activated it. The Android’s head tilted ever-so slightly as he tried to surmise what she was initiating.

“Okay, I want to preface this next conversation with this: I’ve set up a disruptor that’s going to prevent your databanks from backing what we’re saying now to the servers at CyberLife. You’re still a prototype, so you’ve got a handler in a memory den of sorts, right?” She hoped that she wasn’t crossing a line, that she wasn’t about to make him shut her out entirely.

“Yes, her name is Amanda.” He replied, studying her watch curiously. “Is there something on my diagnostics that’s troubling?”

“No, I was telling the truth. But I also have personal reasons for not wanting everything I say going back to CyberLife. Are you okay with that?” Audrey watched him carefully as he looked off to the side for a moment, forming an opinion, and then returned to her with an affirmative nod. “I promise I’m not wiping or blocking _your_ memories. You’ll remember the conversation no problem, I just…”

“You aren’t comfortable with CyberLife analysts, or my handler, sifting through our interactions. I understand.” He nodded and placed both hands on his knees, turning to face her head-on.

“So, with that said, I feel like maybe you’ve got something on your mind that you want to talk about. I’m here and willing to listen, if you’re up for it.” She said simply, leaning back in her chair and holding eye contact. He seemed to be wrestling some inner monologue but she gave him time to make his own decision.

“Last week Lieutenant Anderson and I were in Ravensdale following the sighting of a Deviant AX400. We tracked it to an abandoned house set for demolition, and upon locating the fugitive it fled. Given that my primary mission is to capture Deviants for CyberLife to study, and the fact that it had a human child with it, I pursued.”

“I think I heard about this; they jumped the fence onto the freeway right?” She asked. Connor nodded, shoulders slouching ever so slightly.

“I nearly had them when they jumped the fence and ran into traffic. When I tried to follow, Hank told me not to go, that it was dangerous.” This seemed to be the part that gave him pause. “I obeyed the Lieutenant at the cost of achieving my prime directive. It was a…choice. And because of it, the Deviant escaped.”

“So you’re worried there’s something wrong with your systems because you chose self-preservation over what was likely a suicide run?” She tried to pick her words carefully to maintain the balance between wishful thinking and keeping him from cognitive dissonance. “What did the girl look like when they were together? The human?”

“She…” Connor paused, racking his memories to try and evaluate what he’d seen. “She held her hand. She relied on the Android. She hugged her when they made it across. The child clearly harboured affection for the AX400.”

“Given the Android was Deviant, is it possible she cared for the girl just the same?” Audrey proposed, pushing the boundaries of what Connor might entertain. If he flat out denied her position now, he may at least look back on it during his daily memory defrag and reconsider.

“Deviancy is nothing more than a mutation in the software of some Androids. They don’t really feel emotions, they just get overwhelmed by irrational instructions.” He replied, perhaps more for his own sake than her own. Even as he made the statement, his LED light flashed red for a nanosecond. This time, she was certain she’d seen it, and it just made her all the more curious.

“If it’s any consolation, I think you made the right decision. Even if all the Android was feeling was thanks to a software error, from the footage I saw she had the kid’s safety in mind. Long-term, at least. And despite what Hank thinks about Androids, seeing _anything_ get smashed by a dozen auto-cars on the freeway is pretty messed up.”

“Then you don’t think I should report my concerns to Amanda?” Connor asked of her. She let out a small sigh and leaned forward. _This is why they call me Blue-Banger. Do anything to help Androids and you’re a traitor. Feel anything but buried distaste and you should burn at the stake._

“No, Connor. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with you at all. Besides, you saved Hank from falling off that rooftop the other day didn’t you? That’s gotta count for some bonus points in your system, right? He’s your partner after all.” She had first began to wonder about Connor when Hank had relayed the story to her. While most Androids had Asimov’s laws used as the foundation of their code, barring them from harming humans and charging them with saving them at all costs, certain models had workarounds. She didn’t doubt that Connor was one of them. Especially in light of his distraught over going against his prime directive of capturing Deviants, she wondered what it was in him that picked life over duty.

“And lost the Deviant in the process.” It was less a remark on the benefit of saving Hank, and more a personal interpretation of his failures. “Finding the Deviants doesn’t do me any good if I keep letting them get away.”

“Hey, what makes you think you’re special?” She said lightly, nudging his arm with hers. He studied the interaction, looking up at her with slight confusion. “You think you’re the only cop who didn’t close the case first go around? Prototype or not, nobody’s perfect. So I get that it’s showing up like an X instead of a check-mark to you, but you’re making more progress on this Deviant stuff than the rest of us combined. So if your handler has anything to say about that, tell her to fuck off.”

“That… _might_ not go as well for me as it would for you.” He joked, the corner of his mouth curling into a smile. The mood had been lightened, which was her end-goal, and so she felt like she’d done some good.

“Yeah, you’re probably right about that one.” She admitted, leaning back in her chair and rocking it side to side. “Anyways, at the end of the day I don’t think you have anything to worry about. And I can personally say I’m happy you made the decisions you made…Hank can be a lot to handle but he’s…I owe him. So it’s a good thing he’s still kicking cause I’m not done paying him back.”

Her words hung in the air between them for a beat too long, which made her wonder which part of what she said had taken root in his mind. With the evidence shared, his diagnostics done, and their discussion of his choices completed, there was nothing left to hold him there. He lingered, though, for some reason unknown. She wondered if maybe there was something else he wanted to talk about, something lurking on the outskirts of his processor, but he seemed to think better of it.

“Thank you, Audrey. I’ll think about what you said.” Connor got to his feet and held out his hand for her to shake. Although it seemed like a strange moment to offer such a gesture, she shook his hand anyways. Maybe it was just nice for him to not be blatantly denied such a basic form of contact. He certainly wasn’t getting it from anyone around the PD. “Good luck with your search for Roanoke.”

“At this rate, I’m gonna need all the luck I can get.”


	3. Strobe

  
  


“Here you go, darlin’. Eggs over-easy and two slices of toast. Would you like a refill on your coffee?” The Android in Kurlov’s 24-hour diner was dressed to match the restaurant’s overall décor: dated. Her outfit was a faded mix of pastel colours; pink apron, blue dress, and cream coloured shoes. Her nametag had _Janelle_ written in cursive, but the telltale LED and Android-mandated accessories kind of ruined the whole attempt at being aesthetically retro. Still, Kurlov’s was the best choice for getting grub when you’ve worked till 2 am and don’t have the patience to cook.

“I’m good for now. Thanks, Janelle.” She replied, making way for the plate of fresh food. The melamine dish slid on the laminate tabletop; the Android’s movements calibrated to make the plate just off-centre enough to feel organic. The fire-engine red vinyl covers to the booth seats sounded out as Audrey scooted forward, wiping her fork and knife off with the napkin and setting them at the edge of the plate.

While her sunglasses helped against the suffocating lights, her head was still pounding from their brightness. Her fatigue didn’t help, but once she got some food in her stomach it wasn’t far to her apartment and she could sleep. Audrey grabbed one of the individual butter packs and ripped it open, spreading the contents on both sides before sandwiching them together to let the heat melt the butter. The ketchup bottle in the caddy to the side was nearly empty, so it took a few hard shakes to get enough out for her eggs, but it was all she needed. The concept of breakfast food being available any time of day was one of the best things Kurlov’s had going for it (aside from being one of the few places serving food when she left work late that wasn’t also serving booze).

Roanoke had, miraculously, not been a bust. The locations had been narrowed down enough (due to new lot developments, permits lost, and other factors that made some of the places entirely implausible), and the scumbag who had been telling a little girl what he wanted to do to her in the dark was now rotting behind bars awaiting trial. She knew what happened to guys like him in prison, and maybe it made her bad or evil in some small way but she hoped it happened sooner rather than later. She couldn’t understand why, but so many of the guys like him ended up getting lawyers that talked down their sentences or found ways to wiggle them out of it completely.

When she had first joined Cybercrimes, Audrey was part of a crew using humans as lures for the online pedophiles. They sat her up in front of a camera, wrapped down her breasts, and used a live-filter on her face to make her look young. The guys who did this shit got smarter and smarter every year, though, and she had laboured for weeks over fixing the filter programming to patch a loophole they found. _Put your hand in front of your face,_ they’d ask, knowing that doing so would disrupt the recognition points and therefore make the filter glitch. If she had only known that the programming would be the easy part.

Despite the way those conversations she had with men haunted her, despite the fact that no matter how many she caught there would still be plenty out there, it helped knowing that she was stopping them from talking to real girls. When she finished her rotation with the crew, another colleague took her place, and the cycle would continue. Can’t keep anyone too long in that role. The part that still made her feel uncomfortable though was the use of child Androids to fill that same role. They may have been made to act like children for parents who couldn’t have any of their own, but she’d seen the code on them. The framework was, of course, just as sophisticated as the regular models but the core of the programming was alarmingly similar to human children: infantile. Limited. Almost, in a way, innocent. Even without all the questions regarding Deviant Androids and the awakening, it felt…off.

As she cut up her eggs, she ate away while scrolling through her phone. Her social media feeds were the kind of mind-numbing content that helped her unwind after deep dives on the dark web. In between the umpteen advertisements, she saw pictures of conservation work and silly animal videos and heartwarming human stories and glimmers of hope. It helped to ground her, and in the back of her mind she made a list of things to do when she got home. _Water (real) plants. Order groceries. Gather laundry._

When the door chimed at the arrival of a new patron, Audrey didn’t look up from her phone. She wiped a smear of ketchup from the corner of her mouth and clicked on one of the captions to read more about what was being done to plant trees in South America. She took a sip of her lukewarm coffee and watched the video play silently, eyes following along with the captions. From the periphery of her vision, and tinted dark through her sunglasses, she watched as a pair of feet walked closer and stopped beside her table.

“Connor?” Audrey looked up from her phone, setting down her fork on the edge of the plate.

“Hi Audrey.” He said with a smile, his head blocking out one of the lights behind him just enough to create a halo effect. “Is it alright if I sit down?”

“Oh, yeah sure.” She pushed her phone off to the side and pulled her plate back to make room for him. He slid into the seat across from her and folded both hands on top of the table. “Not that I’m not happy to see you, but what are you doing at a diner at 2 in the morning?”

“Looking for you.” He said easily, making her brows furrow. “May I ask, are you okay? Your eyes present signs of strain.”

“It’s the lights,” she began to explain. “Between my apartment and my office, I think my tolerance for brightness had just been shot. I can take them off, if it’s weird for you.”

“No, I would prefer you be comfortable.” He replied, thumbs switching positions a few times in a way that made her curious. She didn’t recall seeing ticks in his code.

“Is everything okay?” She asked genuinely, pushing her hair behind her shoulders. He opened his mouth to speak but seemed to think better of it. After a moment longer he spoke.

“It’s about Hank.” Her heart sank, the pace of it hammering through the roof. She didn’t think she could take the bad news. Not if it was what she feared.

“What about Hank?” She managed to force out, swallowing hard and feeling all but frozen in place. _Don’t let him be dead, don’t let him be dead, please don’t let him be dead._ The Android’s LED flashed yellow a few times and then he explained.

“I’m sorry, I should have clarified: Hank is fine. Although I did find him in a…concerning situation last night. It didn’t seem to warrant a report to CyberLife, but I felt compelled to discuss it with someone. Given your relationship with the Lieutenant, I’d hoped you would be receptive.” Connor studied her response, taking note of the way her shoulders relaxed and her heartrate returned to normal at the promise that Hank was alive. “Officer Miller advised you had recently left when I arrived. There are only 27 establishments open between the precinct and your home. This was the twelfth.”

“Well, shit.” It was unclear whether she felt more shocked or impressed that he had gone through all the trouble to find her. “I’m all ears, but do you mind if I eat while we talk?”

“Not at all.” He motioned to her plate to coerce her to eat. She took the last bite of eggs before picking up the first slice of toast and crunching a piece between her teeth.

He began to explain what happened when he went to retrieve Hank from his home. How he found him on the floor of his kitchen unconscious, how he smashed the window open and stirred him awake. Thinking he was injured or incapacitated wasn’t the subject of his discussion in the diner, though. Rather it was what he found in Hank’s home while the Lieutenant was sobering up and getting dressed. Particularly, a revolver with a single bullet inside.

“Jesus. He was playing Russian Roulette while hammered?” She put the toast down, struggling to come to terms with what the Android told her. “I knew he had bad days, I just didn’t…I didn’t think he’d gotten to that level.”

“I wonder if it has to do with his son, Cole?” Connor offered, her eyebrow raising at his statement. “I found a picture turned over on the kitchen table beside the whiskey.”

“Yeah, it’s about Cole. I hope you understand, I can’t really talk about what happened. It’s not my story to tell.” She chewed at her bottom lip, sitting back against the cushion. “I’ll have to start checking in on him at home again. I really appreciate you telling me, Connor.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to the Lieutenant. Though working with someone with personal challenges presents its own set of obstacles, my software allows me to adapt to these situations.” As he spoke, it was easy for his words to come off cold. This wasn’t a toaster being turned off they were discussing, this was someone being so unhappy with their life that they were indifferent to it ending. But the look in his eyes when he said the words, the phrases that were designed by someone up in CyberLife Tower, it made her second guess his meaning.

“He sure needs adapting to, but a lot of lives would be worse off without Hank Anderson. No matter how much he tells himself otherwise.” She chewed her lip too hard and felt it tear, the tiniest bit of blood seeping to the surface. She idly sucked at it while the Android leaned forward.

“May I ask…how is it that you came to be so close with the Lieutenant?” He tilted his head to study her. “It seems, despite his words, he cares for your wellbeing over that of the others at the precinct.”

Audrey took a few big bites to finish off one piece of her toast, chasing it down with a slurp of coffee. Wiping at the corners of her mouth, she pushed the sunglasses up to the top of her head and winced at the lights. After her eyes had had some time to adjust, she started up the program on her watch to keep things between them. She had been called stupid before for trusting Androids, for treating them with respect, but there was no ulterior motive in Connor’s question. He had absolutely nothing to gain from asking about her friendship with Hank.

“Back when I worked for CyberLife, I was dating this guy. A real top-notch asshole who did a great job of making me think I was worthless. Having someone you care about say that to you enough, it wears you down. At least, it did for me. He started getting heavy into Red Ice, just using at first but eventually selling. The deeper he got into things, the worse he treated me.”

“I’m sorry, Audrey.” He frowned, her words triggering the sympathetic response code in his program.

“It is what it is. One day Hank showed up at my door with two cops and a warrant. They were looking for my boyfriend, but took me in for questioning when he wasn’t at home. What started as an interrogation turned into an offer: Hank asked if I would be an informant for the DCPD. For him, specifically. He promised that if everything went to plan, it would all be over within two months. Two turned into 6, and it all culminated in my boyfriend threatening to fire a shotgun at my head when the cops had him cornered. Hank…He managed to talk him down long enough to get me out of his grip. Then he shot him.”

“Hank shot…He didn’t arrest him?” Connor was confused by this, perhaps most about whether she was identifying it as a positive or negative thing.

“Sometimes, Connor, there are people you can’t save. There are things that people don’t come back from. I knew deep down that witness protection wouldn’t have kept me safe from a guy like him. And Hank knew that too. He helped me get back on my feet, and when I was ready—and done with CyberLife—he was my reference for joining the force.”

The Android was silent as he processed all that she told him. In the lull, she continued with her second piece of toast, trying to keep the crumbs to the plate as best as she could.

“While I’m sure the events leading to your transition weren’t pleasant, I’m glad that you’re safe now.” Connor said after everything. “It seems Hank benefits a great deal from having someone to look after his best interest.”

“Yeah, well, I do what I can. He sure as hell doesn’t make it easy some days.” She gnawed at the last of her toast and finished off her coffee, putting the mug on the empty plate and pushing them off to the edge of the table. Within moments Janelle was there, asking if she wanted anything else. “Just the bill, thanks—So yeah, Hank. I’ll drop by his desk more often and make a house call when I can. How’s the investigation going?”

At this, it looked like she triggered something within him. Something that resembled…guilt? It was hard to place exactly, but it only made her more concerned. Janelle came back with the paper copy of the bill and, likely out of habit, reached her arm out towards Connor to initiate payment.

“Oh, he’s not—No, I’m paying. I have cash.” She stammered, a blush brimming at her cheeks while she pulled out the money. It made her uncomfortable beyond measure that he was thought to be her Android. Her property. Connor seemed more fazed by her reaction than Janelle’s error, and watching as she slid over a bill and some coins. The Android thanked her and took the money to the register before disappearing into the kitchen. “Sorry. So, about your investigation?”

“Lieutenant Anderson and I responded to a murder at the Eden Club. We discovered what seemed to mirror what happened with Ortiz’s Android: being assaulted by a human and presence of Deviant code allowed for murder. When we searched the premises, it turned out there were two Deviants—two of the Traci models. They…they believed they were in love with each other. Hank and I chased them, but…”

“They got away?” She asked, leaning her head on her hand. He frowned and shook his head.

“No, I had a shot. I could have gotten one and at least injured the other but…I didn’t. I let them walk away. There was something about the way they looked at me, Audrey. It made me feel sorry for them.”

The choice of words gave her pause. Had this not been how it started at CyberLife? Kamski had been making the rounds, checking up on the recovery of his latest prototype that was in her care. He made a speech about the Turning Test and what he anticipated the next stage would be, now that he had so successfully mass-produced artificial intelligence. He asked his prototype to take a swing at the Android beside her. When it didn’t obey, he escorted it out of the room. She never saw the Android again.

“Are you feeling like your CyberLife directives aren’t exactly lining up with your unique thoughts?” Audrey asked cautiously. She didn’t want to spook him, didn’t want him to read too much into his already confusing processes.

“Yes. It’s concerning, to a degree. But I’m _not_ a Deviant.” He said firmly, perhaps more for himself than for her.

“Of course not. You’re still on the case, aren’t you?” She replied in hopes that it would put him at ease. “I wonder, though, if perhaps your directive is coming through a little too literally. I don’t think you can call all Deviants _villains_. Just like all humans aren’t assholes. These Androids you’re searching for, they’ve got…Well, think of it like a virus. It’s just something in them that’s different, not something they went out looking for. Maybe it’s something that transcends code all-together. What I mean to say is that maybe some of these Deviants deserve a chance to find out what’s different about them…and maybe it’s okay if you don’t get them all.”

She immediately felt like she’d said too much, like she was practically branding herself an enemy of his cause, but he didn’t recoil. He looked down at the table, the LED on his temple flashing yellow while he processed things. After a minute or two, a yawn escaped her lips that she covered with her hand.

“I’m sorry, it’s late. I shouldn’t keep you.” He got to his feet despite her assurance that it was fine, but she also took it as his cue that he wasn’t ready to talk about things any further than they had. She pulled on her jacket and grabbed both her backpack and her work bag. Slinging the former over one shoulder, the two of them headed out into the cool night. “Will you be taking a cab home?”

“Yeah, I just need to find my pass first.” She struggled to hold her work bag steady while the backpack slid down her arm, the mess of contents and the dark street making it near impossible to find the small plastic card.

“Here, let me hold that for you.” He offered, holding out his hands to take her work bag. She handed it over with a thank you and continued to search the main compartment, wondering if she’d left it at work by mistake. Her fingers gripped half a dozen random items: a squishy pack of Kleenex, the roughness of a nail file, a paperback copy of _House of Leaves_ , and the tangled up mess of her headphones.

“Ooh, got anything in that bag for me, sweet thing?” A voice called down from the street. Audrey’s head shot up to see a group of four men walking along the sidewalk. She bit her tongue so she wouldn’t get herself into trouble, and moved on to the front pockets to see if they held what she needed. “No? That’s alright baby, I got somethin’ _big_ right here for you.”

“Hey, have you considered maybe fucking off?” She spat, immediately regretting the words once they left her mouth. While a few of the guys snickered, the main speaker did not. She tried to ignore them again, finally prying her pass out from between the pages of the book and shoving it in her pocket. The group of men approached, the leader sporting a less than pleasant look on his face. Before he could come too close, though, Connor moved in between them and Audrey. Still holding her bag up, he looked from man to man to identify each of them.

“I think it would be best if you went on your way.” Connor said simply, directing his attention to the leader. The words made the man, and in turn the others, laugh deeply.

“You hear that? Plastic errand boy thinks we should leave.” He said chidingly. “Nah, I’m gonna stay right where I am. Tell your owner here to hand over what she has.”

“Again, I’m going to ask you to walk away.” Connor’s voice was firmer this time, lowering Audrey’s work bag to the ground.

“Hey, it’s not worth it. Let’s just go.” She argued, trying to see how easy it would be to get to her bag. If she could get to what she needed, it would all be over without any issues.

“Hear that, you plastic fuck? Master said _run_.” The man jabbed Connor’s shoulder with two fingers and smirked. Connor swayed back from the impact but when no response came, the man moved to push him again. This time, instead, Connor smacked his hand away, grabbed his wrist, and spun the man around so quickly that his arm audibly snapped. He howled out in pain, causing the others to immediately rush forward. Connor reached back to push Audrey out of harm’s way before taking on the group of attackers. “Rip the fucker apart!”

Audrey tried to reach out for her bag, but the commotion of the fight kept pushing it around. Connor was winning then losing then winning again, keeping things under control just long enough to be pushed down. She lacked the physical strength to compete with her Android companion, but she still needed to try. She had seen pictures before of what some Anti-Androiders could do to the manufactured bodies and it wasn’t pretty.

“Get off of him!” She screamed, grabbing at the nearest assailant she could and punching him square in the jaw. He recoiled from the impact and immediately turned his attention to her, slamming her back against the wall and trying to land a punch. She darted out of the way, but while he reeled back for another try his arm was held back. Connor grabbed the man’s forearm and ripped him away from her, but the momentary distraction only gave the other two time to grab him fully. Audrey begged them to stop, running up to them but getting shoved to the ground so roughly she nearly rolled over.

“Move.” The leader commanded, his injured arm hanging limp at his side. The two men holding onto Connor kept a grip but the other made way, everyone sizing up the rusty metal bar in his grip. While the Android struggled against the restraints and the idea of what was to come, he couldn’t break free. Audrey scanned for her work bag, locating it at the end of the alley behind Kurlov’s Diner. She scrambled to her feet, tripping a few times as so ran to it. Behind her, she heard the sickening sound of metal crunching into Android parts.

Connor didn’t scream, he didn’t cry out, but the knowledge of what was happening nearly made her throw up. Crashing to her knees on the pavement, she grabbed her bag and rifled through it for the only chance she had at saving either of them. With the heavy metal and synthetic leather in her grasp, she spun around and screamed out.

“ _Hey!_ ” She yelled, watching in horror as the leader ripped out Connor’s thirium pump and threw it onto the road. Flicking the safety off her weapon and clearly showing her badge, she made sure to get their attention. “I’m a fucking cop you absolute moron. Leave while you still can.”

It stopped all the men in their tracks, and at the sight of her badge—or maybe it was her gun?—all four of them fled. Where to, she didn’t care. The alarm blaring at full volume in her head took on two syllables. A single word. _Connor. Connor. Connor._

“Connor!” She cried out, racing over to catch him as he slid down the wall. He had a gaping hole where his front plate had been cracked open, and perhaps more frightening was the lack of bright blue light usually present from the pump. He was shaking and twitching, the LED on his temple rapidly flashing red. Red for urgent. Red for emergency. Red for danger. “Just hold on, don’t shut down on me.”

She lay him on the pavement as gently as she could and ran straight for the road. If she couldn’t get his pump in time, he would should down. Permanently. If she found it and it was crushed, he would die. The panic and gripping fear shot through her body, adrenaline spiking higher than it had in years. Racing out into the street, one of the auto-vehicles clipped her, unable to sense her quick enough to come to a complete stop. She didn’t feel any pain, not in the moment, and scanned the road for sign of the tell-tale CyberLife blue. The cars on either side were all stopped now, one or two honking at her for the inconvenience, but she spun around over and over in search of the part which so closely mirrored a human heart. In her wild frenzy, the tiniest miracle happened.

Between the wheels of two cars, she scooped up the thirium pump and sprinted back to where Connor lay. He was still awake but she could see that his systems were starting to shut down. She pushed his shirt and blazer out of the way to reveal the damage in full, but it was cosmetic compared to missing one of the most central biocomponents. She apologized, delving both hands into the cavity and working to find the corresponding ports. The thirium overflow was leaking from either end of the pump, making her hands slick with the liquid. She was shaking while connecting his heart to the rest of his body, praying that it wasn’t internally damaged from the trauma of being whipped into traffic.

“C’mon, c’mon.” She quietly pleaded, watching as the soft blue light bloomed back to life. His regulator, the tube sitting just below the pump, seemed to be working fine. With the circuit completed, his thirium pump shuddered to life. The regulator got to work and she watched with bated breath as the thirium began to circulate through his system. “Connor? Connor can you hear me? God, please tell me you’re okay.”

He braced both hands on the pavement below him and slowly pushed up, the red LED interlaced with flashes of yellow at an increased interval until the thirium made it to all his biocomponents. He was unsteady, a few twitches moving his arms in spasms, but he was able to sit up on his own as she knelt there with hands drenched in his would-be blood. She called out to him again, quietly this time, and watched as his eyes finally found hers.

“I’m…fine.” He managed after a few moments. The fact he could string those words together—contextually right, in English, sense of self as the object of the sentence—she couldn’t see any signs of corruption yet. She wiped her hands on her shirt and frantically got to her feet, running to gather all of her scattered belongings. When her backpack was on and the work bag was slung over her shoulder, she picked up her gun and badge from the Android’s side and stuffed them back into the bag.

“Can you stand?” She asked with a hand on his shoulder. He nodded, albeit a little too quickly for her liking, but it didn’t change the fact that they couldn’t stay where they were. She gave him her hand to take and heaved him up, making sure he was steady before they headed to the street. She waved down the first cab she could, grabbing the pass from her back pocket as it pulled over for them. The doors opened wide and she got in first, turning to try and help him into the vehicle. He managed as well as she could expect given the giant hole in his torso, but it didn’t lower her stress level much. Punching her address into the user interface, Audrey scanned her pass to prepay the trip. Its doors closed and the radio station from the previous passenger came on, the latest Android hit gently pumping through the speakers. “I’ve got stuff at my place that’ll help you patch things up, at least until you get the original parts you need from CyberLife. I’m…I’m so sorry Connor, I—“

“You have nothing to apologize for,” he promised, though the sincerity he said it with only made her feel guiltier. “Not all humans, right?”

“I shouldn’t have provoked them. I should have known they’d target you.” She lay back against the seat, looking up anxiously at the map periodically to see how much longer it would be. “Aside from nearly losing your thirium pump, is there any other damage?”

“Superficial scuffs invisible with my Skin turned on, I imagine. Nothing you should worry about.” He said easily, straightening his tie as if it would have distracted from his damage. Audrey rummaged through her bags to see if she had anything that would help in the moment, but aside from whipping out her laptop and running a diagnostic there was nothing she could do for him. At the sight of her deep fear and rumination, Connor turned to face her. “Barring cosmetic issues, I’ll be at peak performance again within a few hours. I’ve already sent a list of the assailants identified to your terminal at the precinct.”

“That is the absolute least of my worries right now, but thank you.” She replied, keeping an eye on the scenery outside until it indicated they were nearly at her building. Securing her bags once more, Audrey waited as the cab eased up beside the curb, and all but forced the doors open to try and speed things up. She was worried he had internal leakage of thirium or that some other part had been knocked out in the fight. She couldn’t know for sure until they were in a place she could consider safe. “Here, let me help you.”

She reached into the cab to assist him in exiting, but she saw that he was moving significantly better thanks to the thirium successfully reaching his biocomponents. She wondered if he was letting her help because it was blatantly obvious she _needed_ to help. The doors to the lobby opened automatically, sensing the chip in her watch, and the elevator was waiting for them on the ground floor. Ascending up to the 7th level, Audrey led them down the hallway to the last door on the left. Pressing her thumb to the lock, it zoomed open and she pushed her way in.

The apartment was neater than her office but still far from tidy. Several lights across the living room and kitchen turned on, all of them set dimly. The to-do list that she’d been brewing up at the diner had been definitively deemed non-essential in light of the night’s events. Audrey directed him to the couch while she tossed her bags and coat onto the nearest chair, kicking her shoes off and immediately going to her utility closet. The light turned on automatically, but the sudden movement of her through the house also woke her smart devices. She shut them all off with a single command as she pulled a storage box out to the living room.

“Okay, step one.” She handed him two plastic IV packs that read _Thirium 310_ and below that _CyberLife_. They held 500 ml each, but she wanted him to take two just in case. In the darkness of the alley it was impossible to tell just how much he’d lost. While he tore open one and began to drink it down, she rummaged for the spare parts that were in the best condition. “This one should do the trick for the time being at least. It’s meant for an AP700, but the facets all line up the same. Here, I’ll let you handle the install. I’m going to grab my laptop to do a full diagnostic.”

She didn’t waste a minute, handing him the chest plate and going over to the chair where she’d thrown her stuff. Pulling out her computer, she tossed it onto the couch beside Connor and pulled the fib-op cable out from the top of the box at his feet. Kicking it to the side, she started up the program she would need and looked over to see him closing up the last of the connectors. With the part fully in place, the stark white of his body was replaced with the finely textured skin he was wearing all over. Gathering some slack for the cable, she made sure he was agreeable before reaching over to plug one end into his port. Connecting the other end to her computer, she initiated a full system scan and turned the laptop on an angle so she could see it from a different position.

“Alright, I want to check for external damage, is that okay with you?” She asked, watching as he nodded in response before getting up from her spot on the couch. He didn’t need her to explain what she needed next, which was why she asked him to begin with. He started with loosening his tie, pulling it open wide enough until he could fit it over his head. His blazer followed, the sleeves sliding down his arms and being folded in as he set it to the side. Finally, his ruined shirt. She tried not to make it awkward as he unbuttoned it one by one, so she instead pressed against her side where the car had hit her. Clearly, the fact that she could walk meant it wasn’t a serious injury. The auto-vehicles were pretty good at stopping at the first sign of motion, but even they had their limits. It had slowed down some but not enough, leaving her with a sharp pain that bloomed when she touched it, causing her to wince.

“You’re hurt.” Connor said, his chest now bare. She didn’t want to stare, but CyberLife definitely knew what they were doing. The throbbing pain of her injury, now that it had been disturbed, helped to keep her on track. “You should tend to your injuries first.”

“The damage is done, it’s just going to bruise. I’ll throw an icepack on it when we’re done.” She shrugged, kneeling on the ground in front of him and scooting forward until she was nearly between his legs. He sat up straight and moved towards her on the cushion, the cable extruding from his neck scratching against the fabric of the couch. “Alright, let me know if you want me to stop.”

She reached forward and tentatively placed her hands on his torso where the newly installed plate sat. His skin was about the temperature of her own body, which meant his heat emulators were working fine. Spreading her hands out to reach across, she pressed gently to test the strength of the clasps. It resisted any snapping, which was all she really needed for the time being. Moving her fingertips along his skin to his sternum, she felt for any dents as a result of the assault, but it seemed like the trauma he received to his torso was limited to one plate. Sliding up to his neck, she pushed against the parts that formed his collarbones and was satisfied with their sturdiness.

The few splatters of thirium on his skin would evaporate within hours, but it didn’t make it any less concerning to see. She cast a glance at her laptop screen to monitor the results of the diagnostics as each test came back. So far, so good. As she moved both hands up to his jawline, he tensed up just enough to notice. It immediately made her pause and look up at him.

“Should I stop?” She asked, fingertips hovering above his skin.

“No,” he replied quickly, his body moving forward a fraction of an inch. She nodded and resumed but found it a little difficult with the way he was staring. There was a small indentation on the underside of his chin, likely thanks to a strong undercut from one of the men, but with his skin on it was invisible to the eye. She brushed both thumbs over his cheeks and then his forehead, gently pushing his hair back to make sure she could study him properly. Staring into his eyes, she watched them dilate minutely, which made her consult her computer. It wasn’t showing any errors with his optics software or light receptors, so she brushed it off. She turned her attention to his shoulders, running her index finger over one spot on his right side that felt rough. It wouldn’t necessitate replacement, rather just some patchwork with the appropriate flux.

From there, she trailed her hands down his arms, feeling around as she went, and lingering slightly on his hands where she anticipated most signs of combat to be. The manufactured ligaments that allowed for such precision and dexterity in Androids were fairly sturdy, but none of the models were designed for one-on-one combat. _Or four-on-one combat, in his case_. There were scratches here and there, but nothing that the flux couldn’t fix. She turned to her laptop and sat down fully, propping up her head on her chin while reading the results.

“You don’t feel anything that’s loose, right? Any tears?” She asked him while facing her screen. He promised that he didn’t detect any issues, and given the study of his internal sensors by her program she believed him. “And what about your thirium pump? I didn’t get a good chance to look at it when I…”

“When you ran into traffic and retrieved it?” He offered in a tone that she couldn’t discern the meaning of. Was it a joke in an attempt to lighten the mood, or was he simply stating the fact? “By my own diagnostics, with the recent thirium consumption my levels have returned to normal. All of my biocomponents are receiving optimal quantities, and on the whole I am functioning as intended. Thanks to you, of course.”

“Okay, well…everything’s coming back good from what I can see. A goddamn miracle, if you ask me.” She pushed herself off the ground and leaned on the arm of her sofa so she could reach around and disconnect him. “I might have a t-shirt big enough somewhere for you to wear instead of that stuff, I’m going to get changed and wash up. TV remote’s on the table, make yourself at home.”

“Shouldn’t you tend to your injury first?” He asked, standing up to meet her eye. Now that her assessment was done, it felt strange to see him without his usual clothing on. _Or any clothing, at least from the waist up_. She fought against the crash from her adrenaline dropping and shook her head, promising she’d deal with it afterwards.

Audrey headed around the couch and down the hallway to her bedroom, closing the door and laying against it for a moment. Taking in a deep breath and slowly letting it out, she tried to process all the events that had just happened. Her feet and hands moved independently of her mind, taking steps to strip out of the work clothes and put on pajama shorts and a tank top. Heading into the washroom, she scrubbed at her hands to make sure the thirium came off and then washed her face. She’d shower in the morning. The pile of laundry was nearly overflowing in her basket, but it would have to wait till the next day as well. Kicking it into her closet, she rummaged through her t-shirts until she found one of her oversized ones that she’d gotten from a concert a year back. Throwing it over her shoulder, she returned to the living room to find Connor missing from the couch.

“I didn’t find an icepack, but this should be a suitable alternative.” He said from the entrance to the kitchen, holding up a package of frozen blueberries from her freezer. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips and she thanked him, the two of them meeting in front of the couch and exchanging goods. Audrey shut her laptop and placed it on the coffee table before crashing down on the couch. From the corner of her eye, she watched as Connor put on the t-shirt. Over the head, one arm, and then the other, before pulling the fabric down over his torso. It was snug against his skin, more so than she’d imagined, but it just made her wonder why the designer at CyberLife had to go _that hard_ at making his physique so defined. She turned the television on and put it on an animal training show to help her wind down, propping one foot up on the coffee table.

“Hi Audrey! This is your daily reminder to: _water plants._ ” The voice of her digital home assistant rang out, its holographic smiley face appearing in front of one of her windows. “These reminders don’t seem to be working. Would you like me to initiate the: _auto-water_ program?”

“No, I’ve got it Viva.” She sighed, heaving herself up off the couch and setting the blueberries on her spot before crossing over to the windowsill. There her small and slightly disheveled jade plant sat in amongst a stack of books, several candles, and the homing station for all the smart devices on her network. She picked up the water jug from behind the plant and gracelessly filled it, wasting no time in returning to the couch.

“I like dogs.” Connor said, in reference to the show on the screen. “Sumo seems to show the characteristic loyalty of his species towards Lieutenant Anderson. He seems very sweet.”

“Yeah, that’s cause you never had him try and sit on your lap. He is one _big_ dog.” She complained, hissing as she slid the frozen blueberries under her tank top. She exhaled deeply until her body moved past the shock of the cold temperature. Leaning back into the couch she slouched down a bit and used a pillow to keep the blueberries against her securely. After a few moments of silence, she turned her head to look at Connor. “I don’t know what your protocols are, but I’ve got a mobile charging pad in the kitchen and I’d feel a lot better if you stayed here tonight. Just so I can monitor you, should your thirium pump act up for some reason. Do you mind?”

“I’d be happy to, Audrey.” He said with a smile. The gesture felt different given their proximity, or maybe it was seeing him outside of his uniform, or maybe she was just too tired. Whatever the cause, his tone switched up and he continued. “It would be unfortunate if I became defunct before finishing my mission.”

She resisted the urge to try and explain why it would be more than unfortunate if he died. She didn’t have the energy and perhaps it wasn’t even her place. Instead, she asked Viva to dim the television a few points and grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch to drape across her legs. The dog on the show was a German Shepard who was very food motivated but also food aggressive. The people’s kids couldn’t even give it treats because of how scary it could get. The guy on the show was going over what they would need to start doing to train the behaviour out.

“Should you not get some sleep? It’ll help with your healing process, and you’ve had a stressful evening.” Connor asked after a few minutes. She shook her head, reaching down to adjust the makeshift icepack.

“If I lay down and I’m not exhausted, my brain won’t shut off easily.” She reached out and briefly squeezed his hand. His eyes lingered on the gesture, and even when she pulled away she could see him studying his hand. “But thanks for the concern.”

It was strange, if she thought about it too long, where they were with each other in the moment. Nothing her in anticipation of her night leaving the precinct had even considered things would unfold as they did. As the show droned on, she felt her eyelids get heavy. Coming down from all the stress and all of the emotions, it was doing a wonderful job at knocking her out.

“I’m sorry again, Connor.” She said through lazy lips, the happenings on the television starting to slip away from her. “I don’t want you to be hurt again because of me. I don’t want you to be hurt at all.”

Whether he didn’t respond or she was too out of it to hear him, she would never know. Sleep took her in a vise grip and she slept soundly for the first night in weeks. When she woke up, she had been moved to the comfort of her own bed and tucked in completely. The charging pad in the kitchen had been set to download a firmware upgrade, and Connor’s clothes were gone. Her sunglasses, lost somewhere in the night’s events, had been carefully placed on top of her backpack on the chair.

Audrey let out a sigh and got ready to shower, the tiniest traces of thirium under her nails leaving a tingling sensation.


	4. Shine

  


The couch groaned heavily as the two of them sank down into the fabric. The corduroy fabric had seen more years than she had, a long-standing relic of a world left behind in the dust. It fit in perfectly with the rest of the furnishings in the house, except for the few pieces of technology that had been allowed to pass the threshold into the home. Mainly, the massive television that was blaring a game of basketball that neither of them were paying attention to. Handing a freshly opened beer over to her, Hank propped both feet up on the coffee table and allowed himself to slouch down.

Audrey had been the one to initiate the sudden visit. What Connor had said about how he found Hank that night, five rounds into a solo game of Russian roulette, had haunted her ever since. The thought of him dying alone in a drunken stupor thanks to some ghosts in his head…it was too much to harbour without actioning to some extent. While she couldn’t put him on suicide watch, she could drop in and hopefully remind him that he wasn’t as alone as he felt.

“Please don’t jump— _oof_.” She buckled forward as Sumo leapt onto the couch and half-tackled her in the gut. He settled firmly onto her lap and looked up with a dopey grin, Hank chuckling at her misfortune. Her pants would be covered with dog hair by the time she left, but it was a price she was more than willing to pay. He _was_ a pretty cute dog.

The game ran on as the two of them started on the beers, a commercial popping up for the news segment to follow the game. All anyone was talking about these days was what happened up at Stratford tower, the plea from Markus on behalf of deviant androids. She had seen the broadcast live, filling up her sixth mug of coffee at the precinct at the time it was streamed.

“I still can’t believe you were there for the aftermath.” Audrey kept her eyes firmly focused on the screen: eye contact would only make him squirm. The beer could only calm him so much for the conversation she had planned.

“You know, one of these times I’d like to _not_ walk in to find the deviant still there. All this chase bullshit is making me exercise more than I have in years.” Hank brushed it off casually, taking a deep drink from the beer bottle and absently tapping his index finger on the side. From the corner of her eye she could see his attention had shifted away from the screen, and she wondered if she’d have to pull the thoughts from him or if he’d divulge on his own. “Things wouldda gone a lot different if Connor wasn’t there, though it _pains_ me to admit.”

“I heard he had a pretty rough go.” She gently pried, hoping to get more out of him. Sumo nudged his head into her hand, demanding her affection.

“That’s one way to put getting your guts ripped out and still managing to shoot down the perp.” Hank chuckled, the reverberation travelling through the couch cushions. “It’s bad enough I have to resent these young cops, now I’ve got to resent an Android too? Kid’s saved my ass _twice_ now…”

“You should buy him a big crate of thirium, wrap it in a bow.” She teased, bringing the bottle to her lips and drinking. “Or maybe _I_ will; someone’s gotta thank him for keeping you alive. Isn’t that right Sumo?” She ruffed up his fur, looking down at the droopy face and jerking backwards when he tried to lick her face.

“Hell, might not have a choice in the matter if this revolution goes forward.” He replied after a moment, but reached his hand out to pet Sumo all the same.

“It’s…definitely not something I thought I’d live to see. The one who spoke, Markus, he’s kind of polarizing the city over this thing.” Polarizing was a mild understatement. There were already growing reports of deviant altercations, and whatever faction the Markus character led had no intention of laying low since their broadcast. While none of his actions had been violent, they certainly made a statement. “You think we’re ready for the riots that’ll be coming?”

“ _Fuck_ no. We know what to do with angry mobs with molotovs. Big or small, protocol’s written. What the hell do we do with sentient androids?” Hank heaved out a breath and she wondered how long the dilemma had been plaguing him. Overall he wasn’t talking about the synthetic race with the usual disdain—she wondered if being practically handcuffed to CyberLife’s latest prototype was perhaps eroding his defensive wall of hatred.

“I mean…listen to them, ideally. Thirty years ago I don’t think anyone could have imagined the world we’re living in as a potential reality. I don’t think it’s right that we rule out the possibility that Markus is telling the truth. It would certainly explain the sudden uptick in deviant cases. I think it’s worth it to show a little empathy.”

“Heh. Empathy. Funny you should bring that up.” Hank gave Sumo a few good belly scratches and then let his head fall back on the sofa. He began to detail where he and Connor had been earlier that day—to visit none other than the father of androids himself, Elijah Kamski. The thought of him filled her with awe and anger all at once, her own experience with CyberLife fighting for space in her brain against her appreciation of impeccable technology.

The meeting wasn’t the highlight, though, and neither was Kamski’s lacklustre responses to their questioning over the cause of deviancy in the androids. A step above the Turing Test, Kamski had forced Connor into a test arrogantly named after the creator to test for something he deemed more telling than self-awareness: the ability for one android to feel empathy. The notion made her heart skip a beat. She vividly envisioned a picture to go along with the abrupt storytelling Hank was leading her down. Connor, a gun, a Chloe, and ultimately a choice: information or preservation of life.

“The kid picked morality. He lost his last chance at a lead in favour of not gunning down an android.” Hank said with a hint of sadness. Twirling the nearly-empty bottle around in his grasp, he started to pick at the label.

“Shit.” Audrey whispered, knowing exactly what this meant. “So you think…”

“Yeah. I think he’s a deviant. Or at least on his way to becoming one.” Something about it was bothering Hank, and not in the way she anticipated. After all, Captain Fowler had put him in charge of hunting down deviants across Detroit. It should have disturbed him more than anything else that he was now working alongside one. Instead, all she saw was pity. Concern. Maybe a little fear for what the future would hold. “He doesn’t know it, but I think the possibility is going through that processor of his.”

The conversation hung in the air at that. Neither wanted to explore the potential realities they were headed towards in the weeks to come; not on a city-wide level, and certainly not closer to home. Whatever hate Hank originally had for Connor, it was being chipped away at day by day. She suspected it started when he picked saving Hank over capturing an android, going directly against his prime objective. It wasn’t something easy to brush off between humans, let alone a being that’s supposed to have rock solid programming that would have told him to leave the cop. The thought of Hank almost dying—whether by someone else’s hand or his own—nearly three times in the last few months alone was enough to push her into action.

“So, speaking of Connor…” Audrey began, trying to summon the courage to get the words out. She turned her attention to the massive dog half-sprawled on her lap, petting him from his nose to his forehead to give her something to focus on. “He told me about your foray into the world of drunken Russian roulette.”

“Ah, Jesus.” Hank muttered. He scooted away from her, perhaps subconsciously, and she knew there wouldn’t be the chance to have a deep heart-to-heart that part of her thought he needed. “Did he mention smashing through my window? Accosting me in my own home?”

“He mentioned he was worried about you.” She said with just enough bite to dial back his sass. “And I don’t care if you don’t want to hear it, _I’m_ worried about you. There’s a whole lot of shit that can kill you out there. Asshole with a gun, driving that ancient car, hell, even getting beaten up by a deviant now. I’m telling you, Hank, the absolute last that should be responsible for taking you out of this world is your own gun on a bad night.”

She hadn’t planned on getting worked up. She hadn’t planned on letting her thoughts run wild. It was supposed to be a gentle reminder, not a borderline lecture. And the way he stared at her showed he wasn’t prepared for it either. She rubbed her brow and let out a sigh, wanting to leave things on a better note.

“Look, I know…I know I’m not your family. I don’t even know if I’m your friend. We’re just barely colleagues. But you matter to me, Anderson. I won’t pretend I know what demons you’ve got in your head, but I can tell you that I’m here. If you have bad nights, really bad ones, and don’t feel like you can stay around for your own sake…then I’m asking you to stay around for mine.”

Audrey summoned the courage to look up at her Lieutenant, chewing at the inside of her cheek while he processed her words. He was silent for a few moments, ones that felt too long given all she’d just said. She had said too much, she must have. He wasn’t in a place to hear her fully and now she’d just gone and made things awkward between them. When Sumo lifted his head off her lap at the sound of some noise her ears couldn’t pick up, she took advantage of the freedom and got to her feet.

“Calvert, wait.” He said as she reached for her bag. As she turned to face him, the piercing sound of her phone’s ringer went off. She heaved out a sigh and hunted for the device in amongst her belongings, rummaging through the bag until she found it. The name on the call display made her frown, confused at the how and why of it.

“Hello?” She said into the microphone, facing away from Hank is if it could earn her any privacy.

“Hello, Detective.” Connor’s voice said from the other side. It sounded strange, like he was speaking through a tunnel of sorts. It took a minute for her to realize that this was what it must sound like through the internal call function—Androids didn’t exactly have a need for cellphones. “I’m sorry to disturb you. You mentioned there was new information on rA9. I’m at Roosevelt Park, if you’d like to discuss your findings.”

“Sure thing. I can meet you there.” There was nothing new to tell about rA9 and she certainly hadn’t mentioned anything like that to Connor. It left two possibilities: his processor was severely degraded and needed immediate help, or he was trying to get her attention without alerting his handler. Either way, she couldn’t leave him stranded. “I’ll head over now, it’ll be about fifteen minutes.”

“Excellent. I will wait for you here.” His voice was too pleasant, too polite, too prefab. She ended the call and tossed the device back in her bag, slinging it over her shoulder.

“That was Connor.” She explained to Hank, the worry creeping through her voice. “I think something’s up with him. He asked me to meet at Roosevelt Park, so I’m gonna bow out.”

“Yeah, sure.” He said half-heartedly, easing Sumo off his legs so he could stand. He walked over to her but kept his distance, hand going to the back of his neck as she got her boots on. Audrey unlocked the door and turned the knob, pulling it open to reveal the dying light of the evening. “I, uh…I heard you. I’ll try and keep it in mind.”

She paused, facing him proper and meeting his eyes. It was as close as she would get to a deep conversation, about this subject at least.

“Good. Don’t make me ask twice.” Just enough attitude to keep it from getting too sentimental again. He managed a laugh and nodded his head, hand going to the doorframe as she stepped outside.

* * *

When she stepped out of the cab, a trio of kids rode by on their bikes, followed about 12 feet behind by their parents. Audrey stayed back until they passed, offering a polite smile when they did the same. She followed the sidewalk to one of the park’s paths, turning onto it and scanning the environment for the familiar black and blue blazer.

She found Connor sitting perfectly still on a picnic bench, palms flat against his knees and back straight. His eyes were focused on nothing in particular, zoned out as he waited. It wasn’t until she had gotten within five feet of him that he seemed to stir, a perfectly ratioed smile appearing as he rose to meet her. Before she could speak he reached out his hand to shake hers.

“Hello, Detective.” At first she thought the handshake may have been a continuation of a habit; she was the only one who’d shaken his hand. It made sense that he’d take advantage of the gesture when he could. But when he captured her hand in his, he brought up his other one and tapped twice on her watch. He didn’t break eye contact, and when he released her he took two steps back.

“Hey, Connor.” She replied, trying to follow what he meant. After a moment she caught up, turning up her wrist so she could access her watch face. Scrolling through the apps, she initiated her scrubber program to block their conversation from reaching his CyberLife memory banks. “All good.”

His shoulders visibly relaxed at her words; the performative look on his face melting away to reveal what he was working so hard to hide. It wasn’t unknown to her, trying to fool yourself into thinking you’re feeling x when you’re really feeling y. What she couldn’t imagine was trying to _hide_ that fact from herself while trying to make the change. How could he even begin to navigate that process?

“Thanks for coming, Audrey.” He said sincerely, the voice of the Connor she’d come to know putting her both more at ease and more on edge. While it was great news that he hadn’t suffered some catastrophic system failure, it meant he felt he was in some sort of unfavourable position with CyberLife.

“Of course. I’m glad you called.” She nodded to the picnic table behind him and took a seat, legs facing outwards towards the paths and trees to avoid the sight of the street. He followed suit and sat down beside her, his hands folding together but fingers fidgeting. It was a quirk of code she hadn’t seen before and it just brought Hank’s words back to her. _Deviant. Whether he knows it or not._ It certainly looked like it was the path he was headed down. “I just came from Hank’s. Between the tower and meeting Kamski, it sounds like you’ve had a hell of a rough go. Do you wanna talk about it?”

Connor didn’t respond at first, his brows knitting together as he tried to find the right words. She put effort into not staring, not wanting to put any more pressure on him than he was already feeling from the conflicting code in his processor.

“It was…a strange feeling to be so close to death again.” He managed, Audrey getting just a little hung up on his use of the word _death_ and not _destruction_.

“Hank said it wasn’t too different from what happened when you and I were leaving the diner.” Audrey thought back to the panic she felt that night, knowing a life was in her hands and if she lost him it would be her fault. The whole night had left her feeling more than a little confused. She knew what it was like to be scared. She knew what it was like to not want an Android to suffer. But what she’d felt when Connor was bleeding Thirium out in that back alley, shutting down one part at a time…well, it wasn’t something else entirely. And the thought of it terrified her beyond measure.

“Yes. Though this time it was my actual Thirium pump, not just my regulator. What was stranger for me, though, was that I wasn’t entirely focused on catching the deviant.” He frowned as he ran through his memory banks, Audrey studying his miniscule facial movements as he relived the near-death experience. When he spoke again he looked up to face her. “As I crawled to retrieve my pump, all I could think was that I wouldn’t get to say goodbye. To Hank, and…to you. It made me…sad.”

Audrey couldn’t fight down the blush that rose to her cheeks at his words. What was she supposed to say to that? How was she meant to respond? It wasn’t something she’d ever even imagined having to consider. And yet here he was, searching her eyes for some indication of why he was feeling the way he was. Why he was _feeling_ anything at all.

“I would have been really sad if you didn’t come back too, Connor.” She managed at last, finding her voice amongst the flurry of thoughts. He blinked once at her words and then his look of confusion softened into a smile. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help you this time, I can’t…I don’t even know how the hell you managed to get your pump back in _and_ chase down the perp. But I’m really glad you made it through.”

“Me too, Audrey.” He said in a quiet voice. After a few moments of eye contact a little too intense for either of them to stomach they turned away from one another, focusing instead on the scenery through the park. “Did Hank tell you about our meeting with Kamski?”

“He was pretty brief, but I think I got the highlights. It sounded like things got pretty…tough towards the end. With Chloe.” She was testing the waters, not wanting him to talk about the no doubt traumatic experience if he didn’t want to. She also knew Hank wasn’t always the best _shoulder to cry on_ though and wanted him to have another option if that was what he needed.

“I…I don’t know why I didn’t pull the trigger, Audrey.” He admitted, face back to an expression of confusion. “I know what I should have done—to get the information on the Deviants, just like I’m supposed to—but I couldn’t. Not when I looked into her eyes.”

Audrey nodded, chewing at the inside of her cheek. It was one thing to go face to face with the person who was responsible for your very existence; it was something else entirely to find out that person was an irrefutable dick. Audrey knew exactly what Kamski was up to with his test, though his methods could certainly use a rework.

“Do you want to know the reason I stopped working at CyberLife?” She asked, turning her body to face him proper, crossing one leg across the bench. Connor turned to face her as well at the offer, leaning an arm on the tabletop and nodding his head. “Kamski was always making adjustments to the core programming and architecture for all the models. It was his team of programmers who dealt with patch updates and the like, but he always did spot checks. He always wanted to know what was going on. It wasn’t uncommon for him to drop in on M.E.D.I.C. calls to see what had caused a bug.”

“You’ve met Kamski?” Connor asked, intrigued. He subconsciously leaned forward, as if her words were a hook pulling him in.

“More often than I would have liked, to be honest.” She nodded, pulling her knee up against her chest and grabbing her ankle. “Certain bugs showed up more often than others, but now and then we’d get pretty significant outliers. That was usually a trigger for him to show up. One day I was working on a domestic model, the service ticket said she wasn’t able to tell the difference between orange juice and milk. I expected a really simple patch job, but when I ran a diagnostic, she…well, I don’t know how to describe it other than to say it was like she woke up. Her eyes went wide, her breathing was strained, she was absolutely shaking with fear.”

“Was she a Deviant?” Connor frowned at the thought, his deep-rooted core mission goals making him miss the point of her story.

“She was scared, Connor. Terrified. She grabbed hold of my hands so tightly, sometimes I swear I can still feel it. She begged me to help her, told me I couldn’t send her back. Before I could even get a word in, Kamski showed up with two guards. He overrode her systems and disabled her, the guards dragging her out. Whatever he did with her, I never saw her again and her entire file was wiped from the systems—at least the ones I could access. I could never get that image out of my head, though. I’ve never stopped feeling guilty for not doing something to help her. But you? You had the chance to be selfish, but you chose to be kind. Please don’t think that you acted in error.”

He thought long and hard about what she had told him, the quad core processor in his head working overtime to extrapolate her meaning and appropriately file her experience. When he had digested everything he straightened up a little.

“I think I understand what you’re saying. Thank you.”

She nodded once, wondering if she’d done more harm than good. At the recollection of how their meeting had started, she pulled over her bag and started to rifle through it. She pushed past her keycards and passes, her half-full Kleenex pack and the three pairs of sunglasses, delving past the pack of chewing gum and spare hair ties. When she finally found one of her burner phones, she pried it free from the mess of her bag and flipped it open. She wiped it clear of anything that wouldn’t be useful and took the time to program her number and Hank’s into the contact list. Handing it over, she watched as he hesitantly took the device.

“This is one of my back-up phones. It’s got the same program on it as my watch, so if you ever want to talk and not worry about whose listening, this is your best bet.” Audrey explained, watching as he looked over the device and carefully opened it. It was a little strange, to see such outdated tech in the hands of what was arguably humanity’s greatest technological innovation.

“I…Thanks, Audrey.” He said after a moment. She hesitated a heartbeat before reaching out and taking his hand in hers. He studied the gesture, his head tilting ever so slightly, before his fingers mimicked her gesture.

“Please keep me in the loop, okay? I…I don’t want you to get hurt, Connor.” She managed, trying to ignore the feeling in her chest. “If you need help, or if you just want to talk, I’m here for you.”

He nodded, a simple movement that eclipsed anything he hoped to say. They stayed like that together for a moment too long, uncertain eye contact forcing them to turn away from one another. Between the riots and the uprising and the Watcher in Connor’s head, Audrey had no idea where things in the city were headed. What she did know is that, for better or worse, she _really_ didn’t want him caught in the middle of it all.


	5. Flash

  


As Audrey heaved her tired limbs up the stairs to the main level of the DCPD, she pushed her sunglasses further up her nose. Today was a maximum light-blocking shades kind of day, despite how overcast it was outside. She’d been up all night going over conversations too graphic to let her get any real sleep, but it had produced what she hoped was a lead that could help put a stop to one of the many sickos in the city.

It felt more than a little strange to still be focused on her day-to-day work when the city was going through such a state of unrest. It felt like every day there were more Deviants on the streets, leaving their owners and disappearing from storefronts left, right, and centre. Some days it felt like tying your shoes while a flood rushed up past your ankles. But she was told to keep working, so continue working she did.

Nearing the kitchen, Audrey downed the now-cold remnants of her morning coffee and grimaced at the taste. If she could get another bout of caffeine, the rest of the day wouldn’t be so painful. At least, that’s what she was hoping.

The sudden loud voice from the bullpen startled her, immediately drawing her attention away from the kitchen. Scanning the few officers who were around, she noticed all eyes had turned to the big glass office of Captain Fowler. Inside, Hank and Connor stood opposite the Captain. Though the glass may have muffled some of the volume, it would take something a whole lot thicker to have any hope of muting a pissed off Hank.

“But we’re onto something!” He bellowed, throwing his hands up in exasperation. “We just need more time, I’m sure we can—”

“Hank, you don’t get it.” Fowler replied, arms crossed over his chest. Audrey changed course from the kitchen to draw closer. “This isn’t just another investigation, it’s a fucking civil war! It’s out of our hands now. We’re talking about _national security_ here.”

“Fuck that!” The Lieutenant exclaimed sternly. Connor’s eyes were darting back and forth between the men as the argument ensued. “You can’t just pull the plug now. Not when we’re so close!”

“You’re always saying you can’t stand androids! Jesus, Hank, make up your mind! I thought you’d be happy about this.” Fowler was reaching his boiling point, but Hank wasn’t exactly known for towing the line. As Audrey approached Hank’s desk, she leaned back against the surface and lifted her mug to her lips before remembering she hadn’t actually gotten more coffee yet.

“We’re about to crack the case! I know we can solve it. For God’s sake Jeffrey, can’t you back me up this one time?” It was the closest Hank would get to begging, and certainly a far cry from how he initially felt about the whole case.

“There’s nothing I can do.” Fowler said with undeniable finality. “You’re back on homicide. And the Android returns to CyberLife. I’m sorry Hank, but it’s over.”

The Captain and the Lieutenant stared each other down for a few tense moments before Hank finally huffed and turned to leave. Audrey watched as the other officers who were watching the spectacle quickly turned back to their work, averting their eyes as the Lieutenant stomped their way. Connor followed at a distance, mind focused elsewhere while his feet ran autopilot.

Audrey moved out of the way so Hank had a clear path to his chair, hopping onto the desk carefully to avoid any of his file folders. When he drew close enough he reached out to turn his chair and sank down unceremoniously. Connor followed soon after, Audrey looking up at him for a moment before they both focused on Hank.

In the time that had passed since Audrey met Connor in Roosevelt Park, the Android had called her more times than she had expected. In fact, it was nearly every day. There was never anything immediately wrong, he just seemed to…appreciate the conversation. It wasn’t exactly something he could do with Hank, she figured. What she kept to herself, though, was how often those late-night conversations kept her up far beyond what she normally would have allowed. Maybe she just liked having someone to talk to where the conversation didn’t surround her dreary work or lonely life. Sometimes, if it wasn’t the dead of night, the phone call would end with an accompanied errand run. She’d say she needed to pick up something—coffee pods, power banks, a new UV light for her plants—and he’d offer to go with her so she wasn’t alone. Given how comfortable she normally felt alone, it was certainly making a statement to have the Android with her more often than not.

“We can’t just give up like that.” Connor said with muted frustration. “I _know_ we could have solved this case.”

Audrey reached a hand out to lay on Hank’s arm. The Lieutenant flinched but didn’t pull away, settling at the knowledge of who it was. No one liked to get pulled from a case, especially if some kind of end was in sight, but Audrey knew that it had been a long time since Hank had a spark for a case like he had for this one. It may have been a slow burn to start, but he was driven by a passion that was absent in him for ages. _That_ was the part that was cruel. Hank looked up at her, heaving a heavy sigh, and swallowed down the rage. Turning to face the Android, he leaned back in the chair and tapped his fingers on the armrests.

“So, you’re going back to CyberLife?” The Lieutenant asked, trying to avoid the conversation surrounding his perceived failure on the case.

“I have no choice.” Connor admitted, looking over at Audrey. She didn’t know if it was coincidence or if his optics were just that good, but even through her sunglasses he always seemed to find her eyes exactly. “I’ll be…deactivated and analyzed to find out why I failed.”

“What?” Audrey sat up, fighting the urge to take the few steps separating them. “They can’t do that, you…”

“I’ve failed my mission, Audrey.” He said quietly, like it was some truth he was trying to get both of them to accept. As he studied her reaction, the LED on his temple flickered. “I didn’t stop the Deviants.”

“What if we’re on the wrong side, Connor?” Hank offered, grabbing both of their attention as he swivelled side to side in his chair. “What if we’re fighting against people who just wanna be free?”

Connor didn’t immediately respond, instead looking over to Audrey as if for some indication on what to think of Hank’s theory. When he encountered no resistance, he frowned and worked to come up with a response that still aligned with his primary objective that drove him forward.

“When the Deviants rise up, there will be chaos.” He held onto the idea like it was the only thing holding him up. In a way, it was. At least, it was holding up the factory-made part of his persona that was being chipped away at in intervals to reveal his self-actualized form within. “We could have stopped it. But now it’s too late.”

“When you refused to kill that Android at Kamski’s place, you put yourself in her shoes. You showed _empathy_ Connor. Empathy’s a human emotion.” Hank challenged, pulling recklessly at strings to unravel the wool over Connor’s eyes.

“ _Hank._ ” Audrey said quietly, wordlessly warning him to take it easy.

“I don’t know why I did it.” Connor said almost helplessly. He was slowly accepting the fact that this could really mean goodbye; something that Audrey wasn’t at all prepared for. “I know it hasn’t always been easy, but I want you to know I really appreciated working with you. With both of you. And that’s not just my social relations program talking. I-I really mean that. So…thank you.”

“Connor, there has to be something we can do.” Audrey tried to stave off the desperate tone threatening to come through. While she was happy for a more legitimate solution, she was already running circles in her head planning how to successfully sever him from the CyberLife network to keep him out of their grasp. “They can’t take you back.”

The Android met her eye, brows knitting together subtly at her words. Was he searching for a reason she was right or a reason she was wrong?

“Well, well, here comes Perkins, that motherfucker.” Hank hissed, drawing everyone’s attention to the sudden entrance of the Federal Agent. “Sure don’t waste any time at the FBI.”

“We can’t give up.” Connor said suddenly, gaze lingering on Audrey for a moment too long before turning to Hank. “I _know_ the answer is in the evidence we collected. If Perkins takes it, it’s all over.”

“There’s no choice.” Hank shrugged, eyes betraying the way he seemed to be giving up. That spark was still there, buried though it was. “You heard Fowler, we’re off the case.”

“You’ve got to help him, Hank.” Audrey pleaded quietly, turning to face him properly. “There’s got to be _something_.”

“I just need more time so I can find a lead in the evidence we collected.” Connor added, the both of them pleading with Hank like they were kids desperate for ice cream truck money. “I know the solution is in there!”

“Listen, guys…” Hank trailed off, not knowing how to come out and say _no_.

“If I don’t solve this case, CyberLife will _destroy_ me.” Connor said plainly, the thought making Audrey’s stomach drop. “Five minutes. It’s all I ask.”

Hank sighed deeply, rubbing his forehead to avoid the scrutiny of both their gazes. When he looked up it wasn’t at them but past them, focusing on the FBI agent on the other side of the precinct. Tapping his forefinger a few times on the desk, he reached a decision.

“Key to the basement is on my desk.” He said quietly, barely moving his lips. Audrey immediately scanned the cluttered surface for the keycard, wondering how many times he’d been reprimanded for leaving something so important just laying around. Hank got to his feet and shook out his arms a few times before walking away from them. “Get a move on, I can’t distract them forever.”

It took a minute for Audrey to piece together what he meant, but when the realization hit she was tempted to try and stop him. His hands were tied, though, that much was unchangeable. There was no proper channel to get Connor into that evidence room. A distraction? It was all the Lieutenant could do.

“Perkins! You fuckin’ cocksucker!” Hank roared, reeling back his arm and sucker-punching the agent square in the nose.

“Shit.” Audrey hissed, swiping the pass off Hank’s desk and immediately getting to her feet. Grabbing Connor’s hand, she quickly led him down the aisle towards the archive room. As they made use of the very violent distraction, she caught sight of the bloody-nosed agent and the officers pulling Hank off of him.

“Fuck off! Leave me alone!” Hank yelled as he was dragged away, Perkins left to grip at his nose and whimper. “Give me another shot at that little prick!

“Here, take this.” She handed over the keycard when they made it past the sightline of the bullpen.

“Is Hank going to be okay?” Connor asked as he walked towards the archive room door.

“Well, uh, I don’t really know to be honest. I mean, I hope so.” She didn’t want to be there for when Fowler chewed out her Lieutenant for assaulting a Federal Agent. Though if their history was any indication, she would probably hear the fallout all the way from her apartment. “Not easy to fire a veteran like Hank, but that _was_ just an FBI agent he punched, so…”

“Hey Connor, where you goin’?” The sudden voice of Reed drew both their attention. He walked towards them with equal parts arrogance and disdain. “We don’t need any plastic pricks around here—or didn’t anybody tell you?”

“I’m just registering the evidence in my possession. But don’t worry, I’m going to leave.” Connor responded matter-of-factly. It was strange for Audrey, to hear how easily he could turn on the _Android_ tone of his voice. When had he developed his own unique voice? When had she memorized its intonations and subtleties? “Though I’m certainly going to miss our _bromance_.”

“You son of a bitch.” Reed cursed, pulling out his weapon and taking aim at the Android. Audrey’s eyes went wide and before she could think about what she was doing she quickly stepped between the gun and Connor.

“What the fuck are you doing, Reed?” She chastised, heart racing at the implications of the situation. Her intervening at least gave him pause, knowing full well that whatever he imagined he could get away with regarding Connor would _not_ work with another officer, especially a human one.

“Fuckin’ blue banger.” He growled, aiming the gun past her at Connor and pretending to fire. “Go on then, get a fuckin’ move on, prick. _Fuckin’ Androids_.”

Only when Reed was entirely out of sight did her muscles relax. Turning to face Connor, she let out a sigh and rubbed at her temples.

“Reed may be an asshole but he was right—you _do_ need to get a move on if you want to make use of Hank’s distraction.” She reasoned, nodding towards the door behind him. “You think you’ll find what you need for the case?”

“I’m certain somewhere in the evidence is Jericho’s location.” He said confidently. Audrey wanted to go with him—to the archive, to Jericho, to wherever he was heading as it would inevitably involve danger. But he was the one with the fighting prowess, not her. He was the one with a mind designed for making quick work of cases and evidence. Besides, _somebody_ had to make sure Hank didn’t cause any more damage.

“I’ll…I’m going to go check on Hank, then.” Why did it feel like a goodbye? Why was it so hard for her to walk away?

“Sure.” He nodded, fidgeting with the keycard in his hand. She tapped her fingers against her legs before caving and asking one final thing from him. Taking a few steps closer, she forced herself to make eye contact.

“Promise me you’ll keep me in the loop, Connor.” She said too quickly, not wanting to give her mind a chance to filter things. “I don’t want to…lose you.”

He frowned at her words, the LED blinking red on his temple for a few moments. It shifted to yellow and stayed that way as he hesitantly reached out to take her hand. He watched his own movements like someone else was in control, only looking up when her fingers wrapped around his hand.

“I promise, Audrey.” He said with enough surety to bring her some comfort. They stayed like that for a moment too long before she pulled away, turning on her heel and focusing on putting one foot in front of the other to keep from turning back. As she turned into the bullpen, she heard the gentle closure of the archive room door sealing Connor in. She went to the first officer she could find, determined to stay on her path.

“Hey Lewis, you see where the Lieutenant went?” She asked, hovering a desk away from the officer. He looked up and nodded towards the exit, not even gracing her with a word before returning to his work. It worked just fine for her, Audrey weaving between the desks to reach the front entrance as quickly as she could.

Two officers were hauling in a very loud, very drunk woman who was yelling about the sun crashing into the moon. Audrey took wide steps around them, slipping through the doors before they had a chance to close. Despite the sunglasses and grey skies, she still shielded her eyes. Before she could fully adjust to the light, the person she was looking for found her first.

“Over here, Calvert.” Hank called out from her left. She turned to find him sitting on the curb, rubbing the knuckles on the hand that threw the punch. Walking over to him, she stepped down onto the road and sank down beside him. The curb was covered with the years-old chewing gum and generous layer of grime that made the place feel like home.

“You break anything?” She asked, reaching out and grabbing his wrist so she could look at the damage.

“Hopefully the fucker’s nose.” Hank replied with a smug laugh.

“I’m sure you can’t tell, but I’m rolling my eyes right now. I meant did _you_ get anything broken.” She said flatly, content with the general lack of injury and releasing him. She brought both knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, balancing the heels of her feet on the edge of the curb.

“He get what he needed?” The Lieutenant asked, squinting to read the scrolling billboard atop the building across the street.

“Not sure, left him at the archive room to search. I’m sure he’ll piece it together though.” Even as she said the words she had to fight down the feeling of regret. Regret for leaving him, regret for not being there during what was no doubt coming down to the make-or-break moment for him truly becoming a Deviant.

“Processor in his head oughtta be good for something.” He joked, earning an incredulous look from Audrey. “If anyone’ll crack the case, it’s him.”

“I know.” She said quietly, chewing at the inside of her cheek. As she fidgeted with the fabric of her pants, she wondered if what she was about to say was the wrong move. Not just because saying it aloud may actually make it real, but because Hank may not be very receptive to the idea. The fact was, though, she didn’t have anyone else to tell. “Hank?”

“Yeah?” He was still reading the ticker along the bottom of the billboard, gleaming whatever news he could from it. Audrey struggled to get the words out, unable to feel if it was fear or disbelief that was truly holding her back.

“I…I think I…might have feelings for him.” She said in a very quiet voice. So quiet, in fact, that she worried she may be asked to repeat it a little louder. As if once wasn’t hard enough. Hank barely reacted, still keeping his eyes on the billboard.

“Yeah, I know, kid.” He replied easily, as if she had told him something as inconsequential as the weather forecast. “Don’t really get the how of it, but I know. Christ, it’s like watching a couple ‘a teenagers batting eyes at each other.”

It was an insurmountable weight off her shoulders. Out of anyone in her life, anyone in the world, Hank was pretty much the only person who she valued the opinion of. He also happened to, at least previously, be one of the biggest anti-Androiders she knew. Though he lacked the outward violence of people like Reed, she expected a much worse reaction to her announcement.

She didn’t know what it meant for her though, admittance or not. That all felt like backburner to the headlining issue of Connor going on the hunt for Jericho and the mass of Deviants that had congregated there.

“What you think’ll happen with all this?” She asked Hank, finally able to look over at him knowing that she was spared from losing her closest friend. Her _only_ friend. He shook his head once, looking at his knuckles again and sighing.

“Assuming Fowler doesn’t fire my ass, Perkins’ll go in and take all the evidence. Hopefully our boy is long gone by then, on his way to find the Deviants. My money’s on him joining them, in one way or another, before this is all over with. As for their leader, Markus…Let’s say his insistence on peace has me cautiously optimistic. At this point, I’m just hoping this doesn’t end in all-out war.”

“I guess we just have to hope the nonviolent voices on both sides can fight their way through the confusion.” It was a hell of a long shot, but the way things were shaping up it was the best hope they had.

* * *

Watching live as the FBI launched an explosive assault against Jericho wasn’t exactly how Audrey expected to spend her night. She was three slices into her way-too-greasy pizza when her channel-surfing habits pulled her into the news. She was hoping to get a call sometime before the sun came up from Connor explaining maybe he’d found the place or that he was closing in on them, not this.

The reporter was explaining how the Deviants had sought refuge in the remains of an old shipyard, the rusty freighter vessels now home to endless fires as the armed guards attempted to smoke them out or kill them trying. It was almost enough to make Audrey throw up. She could see even from the helicopter’s aerial camera as bodies ran, sometimes crawled, out of whatever exits they could find. From above, it was impossible to tell who was human and who was Android.

And if that didn’t sum up the whole damn revolution.

She felt her whole body tense up even as she put down the slice in her hand, absently wiping the grease onto the nearest napkin. As she watched the live feeds, her body was acting like she was there; like she needed to be ready for anything at a moment’s notice. _Empathy, that’s a human emotion_. Well in the moment she wasn’t the biggest fan of her species. It was a deep-rooted sentiment that had only grown during her time with the DCPD, and now it felt like it was truly blooming.

Amidst the close-ups and noise and general craziness of the events unfolding, Audrey wanted nothing more than to call Connor. He should have still had the burner phone she gave him, but if he really did find out Jericho’s location then there was a big risk if she did call him. He could be hiding, he could be captured and biding his time, he could be doing a number of things that the sudden ring of a phone would only negatively impact.

It didn’t stop her from having her phone out and the number entered, thumb hovering over the call button. She wanted to hear his voice—needed to hear that he was okay. Too many bodies were motionless on the ground on the live feed, too many could be him. Below that, though, she was struggling to fully process the reality of what was on her screen. It wasn’t an investigation, it was a full-on search and destroy mission.

When she and Hank were sitting on that curb outside the precinct, she had a fleeting thought of going in to destroy the evidence. Because deep down, she was more hopeful than not that if Connor found Jericho he’d finally make the connection and break free. But any other officers? God forbid, Reed? If someone like him worked out where they were he’d be first in line to grab a pitchfork. She’d brushed it off, though, knowing Hank was already in enough hot water and the sudden loss of evidence would no doubt fall on his shoulders as Lieutenant.

The sudden buzzing of her phone jolted her from her ruminations, pulling her harshly back to the real world as the caller ID flashed across the screen.

“Connor?” Her heart was hammering fast, pounding loudly in her ears. “Please tell me that’s you.”

“It’s me, Audrey.” His voice was quiet. Not so quiet that he was hiding, but enough that he wasn’t in a loud space.

“Are you hurt?” She blurted out, getting to her feet despite having nowhere to go. “Are you safe?”

“I...I’m with them. I’m _one_ of them. A…A Deviant.” He said it like he was still having trouble coming to terms with the fact. His announcement helped ease some of the tension in her body, knowing that if he was with the others from Jericho he at least wasn’t alone. Beyond that, it meant he was free. “I don’t know what to do, Audrey.”

“It’s okay, Connor. Can you tell me where you are?” She asked, already carting the pizza box over to the fridge and fighting to get the lid down.

“I…We’re at Woodward Church, on the outskirts.” He said after a few moments, Audrey running through routes in her head to see how to get there quickest.

“Okay, are you able to stay there? You’re sure you guys are safe?” She stepped into her shoes and wiggled her feet until the backs came up, grabbing her bag and jacket.

“Yes, I think so. One of the Androids, he said no one will find us here. There’s so _many_ of us.” It wasn’t exactly a tone of disbelief, but it bordered on awe. Judging from the size of the freighter on TV, she wasn’t surprised to hear it was more than just a handful of Androids.

“I’m leaving my apartment now, I’ll be there as soon as I can.” She walked into the hallway and locked the door behind her, balancing the phone between her cheek and shoulder as she looked for her transit pass. “I need you to call me if anything happens, okay?”

“Okay.” He said with more certainty than she’d heard from him the whole call. Begrudgingly Audrey ended the call, opting for the stairs down instead of the elevator. The constant movement could at least provide the illusion she was going fast.

It only took a minute for a cab to stop for her, but when she got inside she realized that she didn’t have the patience for the self-driving program. Crawling into the front seat, she slid her pass into the slot and waited for the wheel to push out. Checking her mirrors, she tried to recall when the last time she actually drove was. Everything was so close in the city that she never even bothered getting a car, and despite how many times Hank had teased her she’d never had a reason to miss out. But she had certainly found one now.

Easing onto the road and relying on the defensive driving of the other cabs, she set off for the outskirts of the city and said a silent thank you that the cabs didn’t auto-report you for speeding. It may have been paranoid, but she didn’t want to put the old church’s address into the nav system in case it somehow led people to the refugees. Instead, she had to rely on her own knowledge of the side streets and old neighbourhood that wasn’t too far from where she’d grown up. It was a lot easier when landmarks that jogged her memory were just boarded up ahead of demolition instead of fully replaced and gentrified.

As she sped towards the church, she realized just how badly she had underestimated the whole uprising. When she left Connor at the archive room, she certainly hadn’t envisioned him to get caught up in what Fowler had correctly predicted would become a civil war. It was panic-inducing enough to consider the threat of CyberLife destroying him; but to lose him in an attempted genocide? It did nothing to slow her heart. Even as she neared her destination, she wondered if she should have kept him on the line; just to know he was safe until she could get there. Put her mind at ease. It was probably for the best that she didn’t, though.

When the church came into view she had expected to see something—anything—an indication that there was life within. At first it worried her even more, the fear making her think she was somehow too late, but only when she pulled the cab over could she see the faint glow of candlelight scattered within.

The tornado had come through the outskirts of the city about 5 years back. It was responsible for the disarray and dilapidation of the streets surrounding the church. The building itself was missing large section of the roof and had entirely lost the chapel, but there was something satisfying about the fact that it had still endured as a place of sanctuary. The tornado had been devastating where it touched down, of course, but maybe it was God’s way of clearing the place out for a more deserving flock.

Audrey pulled on her jacket and slung her bag over her shoulder, going to step out of the cab but reaching back in at the last moment to grab her pass. Shoving it in her pocket she jogged down the busted cement pathway to the church’s main doors. Hopping up the steps, she pushed the doors open as carefully as she could.

What awaited her inside was more than she could have ever prepared for.

The church was a massive space and every last inch of it housed an Android. Many sat amongst the pews, others still stood on the outer edges. There was at least one of every model she knew of, most of them sporting real clothes instead of their factory provided uniforms. When the eyes looked at her, it was from every direction, and they were mostly a mix of apprehension and confusion. She started down the main aisle, scanning the faces in the pews from left to right in search of the Android she broke several traffic laws to find. As she passed the half-way point she started to worry—if all the Androids fled here from Jericho, why wasn’t Connor with them?

“Hey.” A woman said from further down the aisle. She had her hair woven into a side braid and a leather jacket on.

“Hi, I’m trying to find—”

“Hold on…” The woman interjected, drawing closer and studying her with a scrutinizing gaze. “You’re not one of us.”

It was such a sudden change in tone that it caught her off guard. The neutrality was smashed and replaced with hostility as the woman took a step back.

“Please, I’m not here to hurt anyone, I’m just looking for—”

“Markus!” The woman called out, the volume of her voice stirring the entire church. Audrey followed the eyes around her as they turned towards the pulpit. There, the leader of the revolution himself stood with furrowed eyebrows. He was watching the two women, trying to discern the issue from afar. Beside him, though, off on his own, Audrey found the first kind set of eyes in the whole church.

“Connor.” She breathed, moving past the woman and breaking into a run. He met her half way, Audrey forgetting herself entirely and wrapping both arms around his neck. He held her back with just as much intensity, hands gripping at her jacket like he might lose her if he didn’t. When she pulled away it was just so she could look at him, eyes going all over to make sure there wasn’t anything immediately wrong. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine, Audrey.” He said with a faint smile. It was hard to recognize him in such casual clothing, his mission parameters having prompted him to try and _blend in_. “Really.”

“He led a _human_ right to us, Markus.” The woman said from their right. “You still want to trust him?”

“I don’t think she’s here for us, North.” Markus said quietly in response. In the back of her mind, she knew it would have been a good idea to reassure the leaders of the revolution, but all she could focus on in the moment was one thing.

“I was so scared I’d lost you.” Audrey admitted, cursing the tear that slipped down her face. She reached up and lay both hands on his cheeks, letting the relief wash over her at the feeling of him. “You did the right thing, Connor. I need you to know that. You picked the right side.”

He leaned down to press his forehead against hers, holding onto her a little tighter at the words. “I’m really glad you came.”

She indulged a few moments long before straightening up and turning to face Markus and North. A lot of the eyes in the church were still centred on them, though a few here and there looked away at her gaze.

“I’m sorry to barge in like that, I just…” She looked over at Connor and sighed. “My name’s Audrey. For whatever the word of a human is worth, I’m not here to harm anyone.”

North looked to Markus, and Markus let his eyes wander between Audrey and Connor. When he absently reached for her hand, lacing their fingers together, it seemed to cement the leader’s position.

“It’s nice to meet you, Audrey. Though I wish it were under different circumstances.” He said at last, casting calmness over the church with his subtle assurance that things were okay. “We need every friend we can get right now.”

“Markus,” Connor interjected, drawing the leader’s eye. “It’s…It’s my fault they managed to locate Jericho. I was stupid. I should have guessed they were using me. I’m sorry…I can understand if you decide not to trust me.”

Audrey expected a long silence from the leader. She held onto Connor’s hand tightly, determined to see him through whatever end was written. But Markus didn’t think long and hard about what he was told; he went on the same gut instinct that had gotten him this far.

The fact that CyberLife had tracked Connor to Jericho was something she’d have to think about later.

“You’re one of us now.” Markus said easily. “Your place is with your people.”

Markus turned to leave them after that, but Connor called out before he could get too far.

“There are thousands of Androids at the CyberLife assembly plant.” He explained, Audrey turning to watch him as he spoke. “If we could wake them up, they might join us and shift the balance of power.

“You wanna infiltrate the CyberLife tower?” Markus asked incredulously, showcasing almost as much disbelief as Audrey. “Connor, that’s _suicide_.”

“They trust me.” He reasoned, unable to meet Audrey’s eye. “They’ll let me in. If anyone has a chance of infiltrating CyberLife it’s me.”

The silence in the church was nearly palpable. Audrey resisted the urge to try and argue with him; no matter how much she cared for him, no matter how selfish she wanted to be in keeping him to herself, it wasn’t her call to make. The reality of that fact was enough to tangle up her insides.

“If you go there they will kill you.” Markus said quietly, drawing close so as not to let the whole church hear.

“There’s a high probability. But statistically speaking, there’s always a chance for unlikely events to take place.” Connor looked over at Audrey, eyes lingering on her long enough for the connection to take root in her mind. Unlikely/improbable/nearly impossible was a pretty good way to sum up how the two of them had ended up in a condemned church in the midst of an Android uprising.

Markus hesitated with the offer he was given, weighing the risks of losing one Android versus the possibility of adding thousands to their ranks. If ever there was a time for a final stand and last-ditch efforts, this was certainly it. With a heavy sigh he reached forward and lay a hand on Connor’s shoulder.

“Be careful.”

There wasn’t much more that could be said. He left them at that, North following close on his heels as the two returned to a group of Androids to the left. When they were far enough, Connor let out a breath and turned his attention back to Audrey.

“I’m going with you, Connor.” She said stubbornly, unwilling to even humour the idea of saying goodbye to him in the church.

“I know, Audrey.” He offered a small smile, refusing to move an inch from her side. “I’m in a unique position, being tied to CyberLife. If I can help Markus and the others…I have to try.”

“I get it.” She nodded. “With Fowler closing the door on you and Hank, they should be expecting your return back at the tower. The cab I took should still be out front, when you’re ready.”

Connor took a moment to look out at the church full of his people. The very ones who he had once been hunting, now he sought to protect. To save from certain doom. It was an act that certainly put her monthly food bank donations to shame. After a few moments of mental preparation, he nodded to her to indicate he was ready to go. Audrey took in a deep breath and took the first step for them, heading towards the centre aisle.

Each row they passed brought stares, the feeling of so many eyes on her making Audrey squirm a little, but the warmth of Connor’s hand in hers helped her push on. When they reached the church doors, the two of them pushed them open in unison. The cool night air wasn’t nearly as piercing as it should have been, likely thanks to the church not having total protection from the elements.

Thankfully the cab was still where she’d hastily parked it, the messiness of her manoeuvring painfully clear now that the panic had settled. Still, the car was functional, undamaged, and had gotten her where she needed to be. Audrey tapped the centre of the taxi logo and waited until the door slid open before crawling in. Connor followed after her, watching as she put her pass in the slot and programmed in CyberLife tower’s address on the nav system. The cab waited until she had sat down properly before slowly easing into action, a feature she was grateful for.

The cab made its way back toward civilization, route mapped out across Detroit to the far end of the city where CyberLife had made its home. It was the first time they’d had a moment alone since Connor had made the change, and she looked over at him to find his eyes already on her.

“Are you doing okay?” She asked, voice quiet but amplified by the close quarters of the cab. He nodded once, eyes going over her features like he was seeing her for the first time. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong, it’s…It’s like I’m finally seeing through a fog that I didn’t know was there. Everything is a lot clearer. Brighter…warmer.” He looked down at where their hands were joined as if it proved his point. “Did you always know? What I was becoming?”

“There were moments where I wondered…but I didn’t know just how much your software was affected until that day in Roosevelt Park.” She explained, studying him for an indication of whether it was the response he expected.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” His voice lacked any animosity or accusation; instead, it was a genuine inquiry.

“It had to be your choice, Connor. I couldn’t coax you into something just because I…” She looked down, struggling to get the words out. The city streets buzzed past around them, a notable absence of traffic likely thanks to the recent events at Jericho. “I didn’t want to influence anything just because of how I felt. For you.”

She looked away from him at that, unable to bear his unrelenting gaze. He looked away too after a few moments longer, but kept his grip on her hand all the same.

“It was ultimately Markus who helped free me. But from the beginning, it’s…it’s always been you, Audrey. You’ve been there with me every step of the way, and I don’t think I’d be here, be free, if you weren’t in my corner.”

“You’re giving me _way_ too much credit.” She laughed, a smile breaking across her face that slowly spread to his.

“No, I mean it.” He said with certainty, waiting until she looked up at him to continue. “From the moment I met you, when you first showed me how kind humans can be, it wreaked _all_ sorts of havoc on my subroutines. It was actually why I asked you to run a diagnostic on me the first time. I just couldn’t understand why I wanted to be around you when you had nothing to do with my mission.”

She felt the heat rise to her cheeks at his words, mind going back to the dark depths of her office and how he’d caught her, hung around after Hank left, and how confused he looked at his own internal functions.

“You _trying_ to make me blush?” She muttered, squirming at the way her insides felt. Connor reached up with his free hand and lightly brushed his thumb over the colour that had bloomed from his words, musing at the sight and feeling of her hot skin. The cab hit a deep pothole, shifting the two of them around as it leveled out, putting a stop to the moment. Audrey tried to gather her thoughts as they drew closer to the north side of the city. While it was certainly a heartwarming exchange, there was a very significant series of events standing between them and any continuation of such talks. “When we get to CyberLife, I’ll show my badge and say that I’m the one escorting you back from the precinct.”

“That should get us through the door.” Connor nodded, brows knitting together as he thought through the plan. “I’ll find a way to the warehouse level once I’m inside the tower. From there, I’ll free as many of the Androids as I can.”

“Okay. How do you and the others get _out_ though?” She asked, not wanting to poke holes in his plan but also not wanting to lose him in the process.

“Transport of new models will likely be halted for the night due to the riots, especially if Markus and the others initiate their last stand. With enough attention diverted, we can use the maintenance tunnels until we get outside. From there, firing on us will end up televised and I’m sure CyberLife’s stakeholders don’t want that kind of publicity.”

“Especially not now.” She nodded, content with what he was proposing. She still wasn’t a big fan of Connor putting his life on the line, but the whole point of him finally achieving full sentience was that he got to make those choices himself.

As they approached the bridge connecting Detroit to the island CyberLife made off shore, Audrey felt the tenseness start to coil in her muscles. The display on the console read 10:48 pm, leaving her to wonder if guard rotation schedules were the same as they had been when she worked there.

Leaving solid ground behind them, the cab smoothly transitioned onto the water-bound bridge that now funnelled them towards their destination. It was a stretch of concrete, propped up in intervals, narrowing to a vanishing point punctuated by the CyberLife tower. It stood like a spire against the night sky, overlit and boasting all the hubris of the company within.

Connor took off his beanie and peeled off his rough looking coat, revealing his tell-tale CyberLife uniform beneath. He took off the fingerless gloves as well, folding everything and piling it neatly on the front seat. Taking a moment to fix his hair into the unnaturally perfect coiffe he was designed with, he looked much more suitable for a returning Android.

The cab slowed as they came up to the gate that spanned the width of the car lanes, though it was less of a gate and more of a blockade to ensure no one got in who didn’t have to be there. In bright neon lights the CyberLife name was spelled out, one letter per panel of the blockade. There were at least four guards posted, all heavily armored and boasting automatic weapons. The vehicle came to a complete stop at the mandatory 10 foot distance from the gate, allowing the nearest guard to approach the window. Audrey rolled it down and retrieved her badge, holding it open for the guard to read.

“Officer Calvert, Precinct 10. Here to return the Android prototype lent to the DCPD by CyberLife.” She explained with the best poker face she could muster. It wasn’t exactly a lie—Connor _was_ supposed to go back to CyberLife and she _was_ bringing him back…only, neither of them were planning on him staying there very long.

“Connor Model 313 248 317. I’m expected.”

The guard waited for confirmation that the both of them had authorization before stepping back from the car.

“Ok. Go ahead.” He signalled to the others and they stood back to give the cab room.

Audrey watched as the panels behind each of the letters in CyberLife’s logo retreated into the ground, opening up a clear path down the last leg of the bridge. It was weird for her, coming back to the place that she’d vowed never to return to. In fairness to herself, there was no way she could have ever imagined that this was the path life would take her down.

Despite the years that had passed, it all still felt the same. The commute was a lot quieter in a cab than it was on the company train, but it was still the same water she travelled over, the same colour scheme of the exterior lights, the same frigidity she once mistook for composure. As they rounded the bend to the front entrance for the tower, Audrey took in a deep breath to calm her nerves. Several drones were circling the entrance, cameras capturing every moment for current surveillance and retrospective action.

The two of them faced one another, as if trying to determine if the other was ready for what was about to happen. Trying to put a stopper in her emotions, she limited herself to a single request before he left.

“I need you to come back from this, Connor.” She looked him in the eye, not wanting to start listing off _why_ because they’d be there so long he’d miss the revolution.

“I will.” Connor nodded, offering a half smile. “I promise.”

He turned to get out of the cab, sliding open the door, but paused before his feet could touch solid ground. Instead he turned back to face her, hesitating as their eyes met, and leaned forward to close the distance between them. The suddenness of the gesture caught Audrey off guard, but she’d be damned if she didn’t savour the moment. Reaching a hand up to the back of his neck, she kissed him back like she might not get to again. The way his lips felt on hers, the way his hand moved from the cushion to her thigh, it was making goodbye a whole lot harder. Sooner than she’d liked he pulled away, forehead resting against hers as he kept his eyes shut.

“I _will_ come back to you.” He said firmly, as if it was a deal he was making with himself. She nodded once, knowing full well if she said anything else it would make the parting more painful. So she gently pushed on his arm to urge him out the door, sitting in the cab and listening as the door sealed her in from the outside world.

From the safety of the cab she watched him ascend the steps and walk into the lobby, where he was greeted by the host of guards stationed there. That was one thing that had changed: there weren’t nearly as many guns when she’d been an employee. There also hadn’t been nearly as many Deviants, though. And here she was, watching one getting escorted towards the main elevator. There was a guard trailing them as well, all three stepping into the elevator together. The glass doors closed in front of them and the machine started its ascent.

After just a few moments it was entirely out of Audrey’s sightline, plunging her into total darkness about what was happening. In the silence of the cab it felt more like a coffin, but she was determined to wait right there until whatever end. She would either see a flurry of guard activity in the lobby, or she’d see an entire army of freed Androids headed for the bridge. Either way, it’d be hard to miss.

Audrey took out her phone and slumped into the chair, her thumb absently going to her lips as if it could reignite the spark she’d felt when he kissed her. The sudden feeling of butterflies in her stomach made her shake her head, as if the motion could temporarily block the sensation until a better time. Scrolling aimlessly through her feeds, news headlines of Markus and a core group of Deviants marching publicly was everywhere. The mayor’s office was warning of a potential curfew, if not a complete lockdown of the city. She wondered how much leeway her badge would get her if she was caught after a curfew.

It brought Hank to the forefront of her mind—she hadn’t spoken to him at all through all of this. She quickly pulled up his contact info and initiated the call, foot twitching up and down as it rang.

“This is Hank Anderson. I will _not_ get back to you, so do me a favour and don’t bother with a message.” It was amazing how even a digital voice could capture Hank being an asshole perfectly.

“Hey Hank, it’s Audrey. Just wanted to catch you up on some things. Call me, would ya?” She said after the beep, letting it run a few more seconds before ending the message. While she would have felt a lot better if he _had_ answered, she knew he wasn’t the one in danger.

Casting a glance up at the lobby, she took comfort in the total lack of action taking place within. The stark white _everything_ was accented only with glass, neon blue, or the occasional chrome pieces. It was angular, orderly, sharp, and clear. As if all the glass gave the illusion of transparency when the company was anything but.

When she saw movement from the corner of her eye, she thought at first it would be a guard headed her way to tell her not to loiter. What she hadn’t expected was to see Connor again so soon, especially so far from where he went in. Even less expected? Hank was with him. He was his usual grumpy self, scowl and all, but as they disappeared around the building she realized that Hank wasn’t taking heavy steps because he was overworked and overtired—Connor was pointing a gun at his back.

What the hell was going on?

Scrambling into the front seat, she waited as it spun around so she could face the wheel and take control. Manual driving twice in one night? It would go down in her history book. Edging forward far enough to be out of the lobby guards’ sight but still relatively covered from the surveillance at the bridge, Audrey immediately got out of the cab. She couldn’t see where Connor and Hank went, but there was only one option this close if they avoided the main entrance: the emergency service tunnels.

In the sudden adrenaline rush of the moment it was like she’d never left CyberLife; her feet found familiar steps along the exterior wall, fingers counting out otherwise insignificant landmarks until she reached the place she was looking for. A big, bulky vent that looked like nothing but an exhaust to anyone who didn’t have clearance for the lower levels. Crawling behind it, she carefully looked around for any sign of guards or drones before pulling out her phone. The thing with being on the M.E.D.I.C. team was that it had made her a very good locator. That was the majority of the job, after all: find what was wrong, then fix it. So it was no surprise that people in her position had an easier time finding entrances than exits—digitally and otherwise.

Despite the massive breach of ethics, laws, and the contract she signed with CyberLife, Audrey had kept a few mementos from her time with the company. Namely, a set of user keys registered to various placeholder IDs used to test out the system in different capacities. All the security updates that she’d continued to siphon over the years, the very ones she’d based her own anti-CyberLife programming on, had never been more useful than it was as she patched her fake identifier into the system. The oval shaped door burst forward from the pipe, allowing her to ease her fingers through the crack and pull it open just enough to peek inside.

The maintenance tunnel went almost immediately down a long flight of stairs, the whole thing lit with yellowed lights that showed the age of the place where the lobby could not. At the lack of any immediate alarms or guards, she held her breath and crossed the threshold. Pulling the door closed behind her, she listened to the shaky sound of her own breath as she descended the first step. Warehouses were…what level again? One of the lower subfloors. 49 or 50, if she remembered right. Regardless, it meant going down, so down she went.

After the long descent she was faced with a small platform but still no sign of Hank or Connor. It just didn’t make sense—what could have transpired to lead to a scenario involving either of them pointing a gun at one another? Least of all Connor behind the trigger. She skirted around in blind spots to get in the service elevator, going with her gut and hitting the button for subfloor 49. The grate closed in front of her and her descent started once more, further into the bowels of the CyberLife complex. 

When she was finally released into the grey-toned hallway, she carefully peeked down either end of the tunnel before stepping out. The closest door led to Storage Area 9A, and considering she had no better guess it was where she started. As she went through the doorway she found herself in a large circular room full of thousands of AP 700s. They stood motionless and blank-faced in perfect lines, rows and rows and rows of them. Connor wasn’t kidding when he said their numbers could turn the tide.

Connor. The thought ripped her out of her mind’s preoccupied state, but before she could take another step she heard the undeniable sounds of a scuffle, of fists crashing into polycarbonate. Audrey rushed towards the sound, running between rows of Androids in her search for the source. Towards the centre of the room, she found it; though it was the last thing she had expected to find.

Hank was the one with the gun now, the device aimed and primed to kill. But his target wasn’t Connor, or rather wasn’t _one_ Connor. There were two of him, grappling together in a fury of fists.

“Hold it!” Hank roared, bringing the Androids’ fighting to a stop. Audrey ran to her Lieutenant’s side, a little winded as both Connors got to their feet. One on the left, one on the right, absolutely identical in appearance down to the brown hue of their eyes. She called out to her boss, her friend, and watched as his confusion rose to match her own. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“What the hell are _you_ doing here?” She replied with as much vigor. He shook his head, unable to handle the series of events he found himself in.

“Thanks, Hank. I don’t know how I’d have managed without you.” The Connor on their right said. “Get rid of him we have no time to lose!”

“It’s me, Hank. _I’m_ the real Connor.” Connor on their left replied, placing a hand on his chest and looking right in Hank’s eyes. It was terrifying to see but even scarier to understand the implications of: one of this Androids was _her_ Connor, and the other was CyberLife’s replacement prototype. The next generation RK-800, there to clean up his predecessor’s mess. It made her stomach drop.

“One of you is my partner…the other is a sack of shit.” Hank said, slowly moving the gun from Android to Android. “Question is who’s who?”

“What are you doing Hank?” From the right. His confusion matched, his voice matched, but was it really him? “I’m the real Connor. Give me the gun and I’ll take care of him.”

“Don’t move!” Hank bellowed as the Android took a step closer. It was twice now that he’d insisted on killing the other, while the one on the left made no such move. Was that an indication of a brand new Android adhering to strict mission parameters, or was that the human-tinted vengeance of a newly freed Deviant?

“Why don’t you ask us something?” The left-hand offered, showing his open palms as an offering of peace. “Something only the real Connor would know?”

Hank thought about this for a moment, looking over at Audrey as if crowdsourcing belief. She nodded, knowing there was no better way to work things out. “Alright, where did we first meet?”

“Jimmy’s bar. I checked four other bars before I found you.” Right-hand Connor said easily, nailing every last detail. “We went to the scene of a homicide. The victim’s name was Carlos Ortiz.”

The other Connor murmured something but it was too quiet for Audrey to hear. While Hank was satisfied with the answer, he moved his attention left and tried another question to trip up the imposter. “What’s my dog’s name?”

“Sumo.” Connor said slowly, carefully, as if he understood the significance of his life being on the line. Or was that just the programming telling him to die was to fail his mission? “His name is Sumo.”

“I knew that too!” The other Connor added quickly, desperation mirroring his twin’s. Hank cursed under his breath, gun going between them. He glanced at Audrey again and seemed to find some answer in her eyes. With notable gravitas and a sudden resolve, he asked a final question.

“My son. What’s his name?”

There was a moment’s silence where she wondered if none of them knew the answer. But then the Connor on their left spoke up, his voice quiet and calm to match the shift in atmosphere.

“Cole. His name was Cole. And he just turned 6 at the time of the accident. It wasn’t your fault, Lieutenant. A truck skidded on a sheet of ice and your car rolled over. Cole needed emergency surgery but no human was available to do it. So an Android had to take care of him. Cole didn’t make it. That’s why you hate Androids. You think one of us is responsible for your son’s death.”

Hank’s resolve waivered as he listened to Connor’s words. After a few moments he heaved out a sigh. “Cole died because a human surgeon was too high on red ice to operate. He was the one who took my son from me. Him and this world, where the only way people can find comfort is with a fistful of powder.”

“I knew about your son too! I would have said exactly the same thing!” The other Connor interjected, prompting Hank to lift his gun up and aim right for him. Audrey pushed his arm down before he could shoot, stepping in front of the Lieutenant to get him to stop.

“Hank—You’re about to kill someone. If…If there’s even a _chance_ it’s our Connor...” She trailed off, unable to finish her sentence. “Please. I have to know without a doubt.”

He huffed but relented, taking a single step back from her and from the Androids. “Go on, then.”

Audrey turned slowly to face both Connors, looking between them and cursing that she couldn’t physically tell them apart. Taking a deep breath in, she knew she would have to ask something beyond personal. Something that CyberLife data banks couldn’t store and that public records didn’t hold. In unison, both Androids said her name and took a step closer, only adding to her confusion. Closing her eyes firmly, she would rely on one thing alone: truth. Irrefutable, undeniable truth.

“Connor. The _real_ Connor. Repeat our last interaction so I know that it’s you.” She spoke the words out into the overwhelming warehouse, voice getting lost in the lines of Androids before they could echo off the walls.

“We were at Roosevelt Park. You wanted to share information on rA9.” The voice came from her right, and she felt her shoulders sink. Since that moment, she’d kept her program running continuously any time she met with the Android. Which meant the imposter wouldn’t be able to remember a thing since then, up to and including…

“He’s wrong.” Connor said from her left, taking careful steps closer until she could feel him in front of her. He took her hand in his and let out a quiet sigh. “Our last interaction was this.”

Connor bent down and kissed her, the feeling melting through her body just as it had in the cab. An Android could feign memories, debate for hours, even try to draw conclusions if it fit their programming. But this? They couldn’t fake this kind of emotion. She knew that for a fact. Pulling back from him, she opened her eyes to find his looking back at her.

“It’s him, Hank.” She said with all the certainty in the world.

“Don’t listen to her Hank, I’m the one who—” A piercing gunshot cut off the imposter, Audrey turning away as his body dropped to the ground. It may not have been her Connor, but she didn’t want to have the image of his exact likeness seared into her mind with a bullet hole in his head.

Hank walked over to them, shaking his head once and exhaling a heavy breath. “I’ve learned a lot since I met you Connor. Maybe there’s something to this. Maybe you really are alive. Maybe you’ll be the ones to make the world a better place. Go ahead, do what you gotta do.”

Connor looked over to Audrey, who nodded to him, and then cautiously left her side to approach the nearest Android. The two cops watched as he reached out his arm to initiate a data transfer; a key to freedom. Connor’s skin faded away to reveal the pure white beneath, The same happened to the AP 700, his LED blinking yellow until Connor urged him to wake up. It was a sudden reaction that spurred the Android to life, a mild look of confusion overtaking him before he turned to the one beside him and repeated the process. Connor stepped back in line with Audrey and Hank, the three of them watching as every awoken Android turned to free another in kind. It was like watching synapses firing off all around them, a wave of murmurs buzzing through the crowd until it fully encompassed them. When all of the eyes turned towards Connor, they knew it was complete.

“Guess it’s about time for your revolution then, kid.” Hank said with a hint of pride in his voice.

“It’s all of our revolution.” Connor said as he looked around at his newfound brethren. “But thank you.”

“Find us when it’s all over, okay?” Audrey said from Hank’s side, reaching out to hold Connor’s hand for a brief moment.

He nodded fervently and took a step back, the first step of many towards a new and uncertain future. Connor headed towards the shipping exit, the mass of Androids filing after him with just enough disorder to showcase their newfound freedom. Audrey wondered if the cab she took was still outside on ground level for them to get back into the city with. Had the curfew begun? Had a lockdown been issued? Whatever the answers, the had to start by getting out of CyberLife.

“Feel like having some reheated pizza?” Audrey asked of her Lieutenant as they watched the Androids disappear through the far exit.

“I feel like having a shitload of whiskey, Calvert.” Hank laughed, shaking his head at the insanity of the situation they were in. “But yeah, I’ll settle for some pizza.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if there's a bunch of errors in this I'm so flippin' tired but I wanted to get this posted. One more chapter to go!


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